Exploring Faith and Spirituality

Religion

‘If Luther hadn’t been a musician, the course of music history might have been very different’

The German cleric who sparked the Reformation - and profoundly changed Europe – saw music as a divine gift. He almost certainly didn’t say ‘Why should the devil have all the best tunes?’, but he s...

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The Guardian view on Britain’s religious right: using and abusing faith in the pursuit of power | Editorial

A professed desire to protect the country’s Christian identity is cover for a divisive politics which ignores the central message of the gospelsIn an interview conducted a few days after the beginn...

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There is no revival of Christianity in Britain | Letter

Andrew Copson of Humanists UK says we must recognise non-religious people as a community with a positive, ethical worldview that deserves equal standing in the public squareThe retraction of the Bi...

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The Easter story reminds us to not give in to despair and instead tenaciously face the joys and sorrows of life

The potency of the crucifixion story lies in how, as we experience the sometimes devastating travails of human existence, God himself suffers with usMaking sense of it is a column about spiritualit...

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As Team Trump wage unceasing war on Iran, evangelical nationalists are destroying any moral world order we once had | Simon Tisdall

The brutalisation of global norms by figures like Pete Hegseth must be seen as an ethical issue. It’s a fight against chaos, and all major religions must play a roleThat combative old hymn, Onward...

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Wednesday briefing: Can Sarah Mullally steer the Church of England back into safer waters?

In today’s newsletter: The first woman to hold the position of archbishop of Canterbury arrives at a time of transition with hopes that she can restore the church’s reputationGood morning. At a cer...

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There’s nothing sinister about Muslim prayers in Trafalgar Square. As a bishop, I reject the right’s attacks on worship | Arun Arora

At a time when Britain has never felt more divided, we should draw on Christian values to reject hate and focus on what unites usWhen you think about the unedifying political furore about the open ...

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Emotional Validation Isn’t Always Loving

Imagine you’re sitting across the table from a church friend. You’ve known him since he began attending the church a few years ago, and for the last several months, he’s been a part of the small gr...

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The Sexual Revolution Can’t Keep Its Promises

Several years ago, a young man experiencing same-sex attraction asked me for counsel. He’d heard a sermon at his church that, while not affirming homosexual sex, described those identifying as LGBT...

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Why We Can Trust the Resurrection

Courtney and Melissa talk with New Testament scholar (and Melissa’s husband) Mike Kruger about the excellent evidence that Jesus physically rose from the dead and the difference that makes for our ...

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The Danger of AI Isn’t Misinformation. It’s Mis-Formation.

It’s crazy how fast this has become normal: Ask a question to any artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, and you get an instant, in-depth answer, even to a spiritual question. AI is already showing...

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On My Shelf: Life and Books with Kelly M. Kapic

On My Shelf helps you get to know various writers through a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their lives as readers. I asked Kelly M. Kapic—professor of theological studies at Covenant College and a...

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The Last Supper review – not much meat on the bones at Jesus’s famous final meal

Undemanding retelling of Jesus’s choice miracles, breaking bread at dinner and the subsequent crucifixion and resurrection ticks basic boxes but offers no depthAnother contribution from the fast-gr...

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When Your Kids Don’t Live Up to Your Expectations

In today’s world, we often crave limitlessness. We prize technological advancements that promise around-the-clock productivity. We worship larger-than-life athletes who appear to defy the bounds of...

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The Other Book that Shaped America

In 1812, the aging revivalist Edmund Botsford imparted a few words of wisdom to a young South Carolina pastor. Among the most valuable books to read, John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress is, for Botsfo...

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Implement Intergenerational Discipleship in Your Church

God used life-on-life discipleship to grow my faith. He placed an older and wiser man in my life who somehow knew everything I needed to hear, even when I didn’t want to hear it. That man asked me ...

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‘Project Hail Mary’ Offers the Good, Clean, Fun Moviegoers Have Missed

Andy Weir’s novel Project Hail Mary is an enormously entertaining sci-fi page turner with a brilliant narrative structure and endearing characters. But it’s also quite sciencey—full of brain-bendin...

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What Singles Need from Married Friends

When we were single in our late 20s, a former roommate and I noticed that spending time with certain couples felt easier and more life-giving than it did with others. But why? Though I recently go...

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Through ‘the Doorway of Heaven’: In Honor of John M. Perkins

I read a tattered copy of John Perkins’s With Justice for All as a newly regenerated teenager in the 1990s. It had an indelible impact on my young Christian mind. If I had known that some twenty ye...

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Poverty Doesn’t (Always) Look Like You Think

“I just want to know how best to help when I see someone on the corner asking for money.” I’m a ministry practitioner focused on helping churches and parachurch organizations understand and addres...

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8 Things Caregivers Should Know About Dementia

I found my 88-year-old mother reading her Bible. “I didn’t know Cain killed Abel,” she said. “I guess that’s why Abel never visits us.” This made me chuckle and yet grieved my heart at the same ti...

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