Ross Douthat has miraculously brought social conservatism rooted in Christianity onto the New York Times editorial pages for perhaps the first time in several generations. His achievement is remarkable, especially at only age 32. His new book Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics was deservedly featured at the National Press Club on April 17, hosted by [...]

Nigerian extremist group demanding Christians leave region By Thomas Kemper Please join me in praying for our brothers and sisters in Nigeria. In recent weeks, Christians have been targeted and killed by Boko Haram, a religious extremist group in northern Nigeria demanding that Christians leave the region. Societal, religious and economic imbalance is creating a [...]

A few years ago, Wired magazine reported on what it called “a star-studded panel of scientists” at the World Science Festival in New York City. The scientists had gathered to discuss what it means, from a scientific perspective, to be human. Marvin Minsky, artificial intelligence pioneer, said the one thing we can do that other species can’t [...]

In 1990, Mikhail Gorbachev had the nerve to submit to historic reality; the Soviet Union created and defended by his generation was falling apart. In one of his last speeches, he used some language about international relations that we might well apply to the church today: “We are witnessing a revolution [that] greatly increases the [...]

Q: The common wisdom in the United States is that the church is growing rapidly in Africa. What would you say about the growth of Christianity and United Methodism within Africa generally? Is it for real, and what accounts for it? A: It’s for real. People believe very strongly that it is Jesus who has [...]

The United Methodist Church’s General Conference is still nearly three months away, but issues likely to dominate—such as consolidating general agencies and ending guaranteed appointment for clergy—got a dress rehearsal hearing in a briefing for delegates and others held here Jan. 21-23. The pushback was plentiful. To read the rest of Sam Hodge’s article in the [...]

Looking at my memo of 1995 to the Charlotte District, I recall the outcry of negative reaction. Upon leaving I was given a pair of dimes and told that what they would remember about me was my always calling for “new paradigms.” Interestingly, a lot of these concerns and proposals are reflected in the 2012 [...]

The contemporary claim, “I’m spiritual, not religious,” takes visual form via an ancient and visceral mode of spirituality in this small film coming to DVD and Blu-ray on Feb. 21. Written and directed by Emilio Estevez, featuring his father Martin Sheen, The Way is literally grounded in the Camino del Santiago, the thousand-year-old pilgrimage route flowing [...]

The debate among United Methodists regarding the compatibility of homosexuality with the Christian life is increasing in potency as General Conference 2012 draws ever closer. One recent voice in the debate is that of S. Vance Goodman, a fourth-year student at Perkins School of Theology. Ms. Goodman, a former candidate for ordained ministry, recently wrote [...]

By Sam Hodges Hamilton and Slaughter sounds like a law firm one wouldn’t want to mess with, but those are in fact the last names of two well-known United Methodist megachurch pastors. They are good friends and close collaborators on efforts to renew the UMC. And, as it happens, the Rev. Adam Hamilton and the [...]