Three overlooked ways to pursue rest and spiritual formation — A 2015 Barna Survey found that only 20% of self-identified Christians participate in activities of spiritual formation. Less than half of practicing Christians* participate in spiritual formation.

Jesuit priest Thomas Reese asks in his Religion News Service column, Signs of the Times, “What has the demise of Roe cost the Catholic church?” I have some thoughts, but first, Reese answers his own question: Overturning Roe v. Wade cost pro-life Catholics and Evangelicals their credibility; they wedded themselves…

These YouTube sensations evangelize so well for 2022 — If you don’t know who Dude Perfect is, then you don’t know a boy under the age of 10. We took our 7-year-old son to see Dude Perfect at a sold-out sports arena last weekend. The audience ranged from toddlers to teens and their parents, and everyone cheered and roared…

It’s easy to imagine a chilling alternative history — Careful historians will point to the House Select Committee’s televised hearings about the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol as a turning point. What the hearings turn to, will depend on what Americans do next. Before the televised hearings, we perceived Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election as…

Two minutes on Twitter, two examples of post-Roe harm — I’m sure many pro-lifers have very nuanced, precise positions about abortion as well as equally nuanced, precise reasons supporting those positions. But evidently, they’re not writing legislation governing women’s healthcare. In two minutes on Twitter last night, I encountered two different examples of women experiencing profound harm due to Roe’s…

Reflections on Luke 8:29–36, Capitalism, and Consumerism — Luke 8:29–36 is one of the most bizarre stories in the Bible, and that’s saying something for a book that includes angels having sex with women to produce the mysterious giant race known as the Nephilim. In this strange story, Jesus exorcizes a host of demons calling themselves “Legion” from…

To those whose pastors, like ours, said something insensitive and hurtful about overturning Roe v. Wade — My wife told me, “I dreaded going to church from the minute the decision was announced.” I did not share her dread of the first Sunday after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade and empowered states to create their own abortion laws, restricting it as much as they…

Diana Butler Bass blew my mind about Luke 8:26–39 — This past week, pastors who follow the lectionary preached on one of the most bizarre, puzzling stories of Jesus’ ministry. In Luke 8:26–39, Jesus exorcizes demons from a man into a herd of pigs. The herd stampedes into the sea, destroying themselves. The man goes from living naked among Gentile…

Tips from neuroscience, psychology, and being a jerk — Richard rolled his eyes and scoffed while I spoke. “What?” I demanded. Without waiting for an answer, I stood up from the table and said I was leaving the meeting. “Eric,” Richard said in his soft, aged voice. “You can’t get upset and leave whenever you disagree.” His eyes conveyed…