
A Crisis of Imagination: Spiritual Formation and Development
The opening words of Lanta Davis’ Becoming by Beholding: The Power of the Imagination in Spiritual Formation led me to expect a much different kind

The opening words of Lanta Davis’ Becoming by Beholding: The Power of the Imagination in Spiritual Formation led me to expect a much different kind

Like “evangelical,” the term “Protestant” increasingly is seen as unhelpful and unfamiliar, especially among young people.

David French writes how a “post-Christian” USA animates and motivates a lot of American Christianity.

More child-free people, more pets, anthrozoology, alloparenting, and evolutionary biology…

Katharine Hayhoe interviewed by the New York Times.

A phenomenal digital resource, includes an essay by Kristin Kobes DuMez of Calvin University.

Who remembers church on New Years Eve? In the Black Church, Watch Night celebrated the Emancipation Proclamation.

Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth has been embroidered upon in all sorts of interesting and compelling ways.

Robert Hudson’s new book “Seeing Jesus: Visionary Encounters from the First Century to the Present” is both devotional and skeptical, says the New Yorker

Jeff Chu interviewed On Point, especially as the final Rachel Held Evans book, Wholehearted Faith” is out — a book which Chu completed.

Moore’s critics (and some defenders, too) nearly melt down Twitter after pictures surface of her serving communion in her new church.

Often somewhat derided as expressing “American civil religion” or being too saccharine, is this Christmas classic actually a parable of the Gospel?

Carol Bechtel blogs on this woman in waiting.

Read the conclusion of the gay witch who wanted to discuss the bible with a pastor.

The latest from Pew — 40% call religion “very important” in their life. 25% attend worship weekly.

The likely overturning of Roe v. Wade symbolizes the end of the influence of 20th century liberal Protestantism.

In a different time, might “deconstructing” simply be considered as “discipleship”?

Tish Harrison Warren explores how Mary informs us today, from Sunday’s New York Times.

What informs today’s White Evangelicals? Theology or Culture? Scripture or Tradition? David French explores.

“Out of the blue, she messaged me saying she thought Jesus was speaking to her and she wanted to read the bible.”

Pew Research says few Americans blame God for the pandemic. Plus some interesting results in questions about heaven.

Ever hear of a Josephite marriage? A son looks back on his parents’ unusual marital arrangement.

Among American pastors under age 45, 46 percent have considered leaving ministry in the last year.

She buys me for my birth canalbut beats me for the birth.I despise her.And beneath her fist,I become the broken earth. When I spring towards

Self-defense and Natural Law and the Rittenhouse verdict, from the Christian Century

A five-minute interview from On Point: a pastor shares on the divisions, friction, and toll to his church during the past few years.

Listen as NPR’s On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti explores the causes and consequences of White Evangelical fear.

Too weird to be true! The actor playing Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar is charged for his role in storming the capitol on January 6.

What Americans hear about social justice at church — and what they do about it. From “The Conversation.”

The American church’s obsession with numbers — and how it distorts us, from The Presbyterian Outlook

Kobes DuMez is interviewed by Politico on “Why Republicans Can’t Stop Talking about Masculinity.”

Gwen Frisbie-Fulton on the Rittenhouse verdict. How does it feel to be celebrated for being bad?

The NRSVue (updated edition) is not a new translation but alters some wording for “modern sensibilities.”

Tish Harrison Warren talks with Deborah Haarsma, president of BioLogos.

Barr rebutts DeYoung’s review of her book, especially using Bridgit of Kildare and Genovefa of Paris.

Carol Bechtel explores Lamech in Genesis 4. Violence, vengeance, and hate speech.

NPR’s Sarah McCammon interviews Jeff Chu about completing RHE’s final book.

Check out this edition of a weekly blog coming out of City Church, Long Beach. This week Bill and Brenna discuss deconstructing.

Tisby considers his own upbringing and how the new Netflix docudrama might have helped him as a young man.

The American Protestant church is losing “elasticity” — the ability to stretch across differences. Big tents are out. Purity and homogeneity are in.

Most churches have “re-opened” now. Is the aftermath more challenging than the first months of the pandemic?

Churches in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and elsewhere in Africa continue to be strongly anti-LGBTQ+, often advocating for punishment of LGBTQ+ persons.

The “southernization” of American evangelicalism, as the influence of institutions like Christianity Today, the National Association of Evangelicals, and Wheaton Colleges wanes.

Memories of how a Republican Midwestern governor welcomed refugees from southeast Asia in the 1970s and 80s.

The patron saint of those who question and grow weary of pat answers, maybe the Martin Luther of a new reformation?

The Pope released a 38 minute video talk addressing all sorts of topics — shortening the work day, pharmaceuticals releasing patents, and more.

Non-binary and transgender people do not reject Scripture or the God the Bible, says a Jewish scholar.

“Evangelical” is just another word for Republican — so says Political Scientist Ryan Burge.

Peter Wehner writes in The Atlantic about the conflict within evangelical churches over politics and culture-wars. Lots of input from Kristin Kobes DuMez.

Is the label “Evangelical” purely political and beyond redemption?

The DIocese of Catania in Sicily experiments with banning the practice of godparents, saying it has lost “all spiritual significance.”

I’m missing the friction that should exist between a faithful life and accepted normalcy. Maybe I miss the weirdness of my poor, Jesusy, hippie childhood

Barr’s strong reply to DeYoung, and even more a complete take down of the sexism and bias of the English Standard Version of the Bible.

The progressive Christian festival in North Carolina’s mountains struggles to address the deep racism built into so much of its assumptions.

Meeting in Tucson, Arizona, the widest decision-making body of the Reformed Church in America is on the verge of fracturing.

The acerbic comedian, who died last month, hinted at faith and became gentler in comedy, as he aged.

The show may not only be popular, it may be important and teach us about true discipleship.

From the 11th to 13th centuries, Europe experienced a warm period. How did it affect the Church?

Michael Gerson writes on the departing head of NIH, Francis Collins.

What if the award-winning show is about more than simply a “nice-guy”?

Former blogger on The Twelve, Jes Kast, explains her changing understanding of abortion in this 2019 interview.

What make you angry? And how might you process your anger?
Do you know your enneagram type?

The recent census numbers confirm how multi-cultural the US is becoming. Immigrants may revive American evangelicalism.

Much media and scholarly attention has pointed toward the coming “liberal” young Mormons. But it will it actually bring about change in the LDS?

Troll Farms in Macedonia and Ukraine are especially successful in targeting American Christians on social media.

Christian colleges were typically begun to serve the church. Over time, their support and constituents have broadened. Can a Christian college support church, business, and

A Catholic perspective that asks if the theology used to explain a male-only priesthood can really be so cleanly separated from the Church’s long history

“The first step toward recovery is to separate being white from being Christian.”

Trump supporters were likely to adopt the label “evangelical” — even if they previously did not self-identify way. Did they have a religious experience or

The roots of the anti-abortion movement are in the reaction against desegregating schools. And views on abortion have been increasingly partisan and polarized over the

Pentecostals increasingly use the shofar in their rituals, including the January 6 capitol insurrection.

It’s time to stop making excuses and enabling non-vaxxers who claim religious grounds, writes David French.

Our own David Hoekema writes about art on the border wall in the Christian Century.

President Biden’s use of Isaiah 6 drew ire from all sorts of Christians. Turns out, it’s been used before, and often, by voices in the

Chuck DeGroat answers critics who say empathy makes us too soft and leads us away from God’s truth.

Well-known hymn-writer, Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, offers “A Hymn for Places Where War Leads to War.”

What does John’s Piper’s wishful thinking about his hero, Jonathan Edwards, tell us about Piper? Chris Gehrz writes on Patheos.

Beverly Gaventa pushes back against Hauerwas and Willimon’s controversial Christian Century article on pastoral care. The link to that piece, along with another reply are

New York Times columnist Ross Douthat invites people to consider faith, saying that the advances of science and modern society make faith more plausible, not

How do surveys identify “evangelicals”? Who defines “born again”? Views of who will be saved may be most indicative.

In a possible model for other schools, Birmingham-Southern College, outsmarts a state ban on COVID vaccination passports.

Olympic beach volleyball and handball, as well as gymnastics bring a spotlight to different dress codes for athletes. Freedom? Body-shaming? Privacy?

The artifacts, looted from Iraq, included many held by Hobby Lobby’s Museum of the Bible, and also Cornell University.

Absolute certainty doesn’t serve us well as Christians. But it doesn’t serve former Christians well either.

The abortion debate divides along class boundaries. What actually changes lives rather than trying to change minds?

Reversing his predecessor, Pope Francis restricted the use of Latin Mass, saying it was divisive and a tool used by Catholics opposed to the reforms

Wes Granberg-Michaelson wonders if the pandemic has made us hungrier for physicality and place. Maybe hungrier for pilgrimages?

“A Christian theology of human fallibility leads us to expect structural and personal injustice. It is in the texts we hold dear. So when Christians

Jesus and John Wayne, Kristin DuMez’s book continues to sell and attract media attention.

David French writes that its easier to have “factional” friends — people we don’t really know but agree with our opinions and politics, than face-to-face

The liberal arts college in Holland, Michigan, associated with the Reformed Church in America, aims to raise its endowment to $1 billion and then to

When does borrowing from others become plagiarism in preaching? A controversy among the Southern Baptists touches on a larger question.

Believed to be a first, Jacob Steinmetz, a hard-throwing pitcher from Long Island, New York and an Orthodox Jew, was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks

We’ve been missing a specific kind of joy during the pandemic — the joy of being together, a joy that multiplies.

The proudly conservative Bible translation, that has accused other English translations of cultural accommodation and going PC, is found to be doing its own editing

I’m angry that Christians are not just complicit in but actively blameworthy for the earth’s ruin. I’m angry that well-meaning, well-educated people take comfort in

Two surprises in a huge survey of religion in the US: white mainline Christians overtake white Evangelicals as the dominant Protestant group, and the growth

A recent study finds there are about 1.2 million people in the US who identify as nonbinary — mostly white, young, and urban. They face

Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington DC, released a statement saying it has a long tradition of welcoming all to its Masses.

A Lutheran pastor shares how a different form of prayer was an important breakthrough for her.

The TV show about Jesus flies below the radar of most media critics, but apparently it’s pretty good, and has found an audience.

The Methodist Church in Britain, the fourth largest Christian group in Britain, voted 254-46 to allow same-sex marriage.

Words and phrases tossed around like we agree on what they mean — socialism, woke, cancel culture.

How a documentary filmmaker became a celebrity by inflaming “Critical Race Theory.”

Overall giving increased last year. “Church-related” giving was up, but not as significantly as overall giving, and as a portion of overall giving, church giving

Religious “residue” continues to influence the ethics of the “formerly religious,” according a recent study.

There’s a small revival of this minimalist architecture that first appeared in the days after World War II.

Despite warnings from the Vatican, American Roman Catholic bishops voted by 75-25% margin to draft a statement aimed at denying communion to President Biden for

Amanda Beckenstein Mbuvi is named Vice President of Academic Affairs at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, outside Philadelphia.

Neo-Confederates, sexual abuse cover-up, threats, and more. Russel Moore’s leaked letter lays it all out.

A wise and gentle essay on Critical Race Theory from David Dark

Massachusetts fisherman swallowed and then spit out by a humpback whale

The anti-transgender bills in many states are a solution in search of a problem.

When we lose a beloved pet, we often wonder. For kids, it may be one of their first “theological” questions. Western Seminary’s Carol Bechtel explores.

We’re used to thinking that religion shapes our politics. Long-time writer and observer of American religion, Kenneth L. Woodward, suggests it may be just the

These are delicate and tricky conversations to have in churches. It’s easy to be misunderstood.

The Winnipeg Jets remembered the 215 First Nations children whose remains were recently found at a former residential school in British Columbia.

Even before the pandemic, data suggests that more churches are closing than opening in the US

Virginia Theological Seminary, a school of the Episcopal Church located in Alexandria, has begun offering cash payments to the descendants of former workers

A recent survey indicates that those who consider their religious faith “vital to the lives” seem to have coped better during the pandemic. “Religiosity seems

Not all “Christian Nationalists” are particularly Christian, but all share a deep distrust of democracy and are actively undermining it in the US.

After public push back, HarperCollins, publisher of the NIV Bible, has pulled out of a deal to produce the “God Bless the USA” Bible.

Brief and insightful update on the current conflict. What’s happening? What voices do we hear in North America?

We’ve heard a lot about the “young nones.” Maybe they aren’t so secular after all. They’re simply non-traditionally religious. Jason Lief looks at Tara Isabella

Bethany Christian Services, the largest Protestant adoption agency in the US, stirred up controversy recently when it changed its policies about adopting to LGBTQ couples.

The violence in Gaza has made many younger American Jews more vocally critical of the Israeli actions, even as antisemitism increases in the US.

A Christian writes from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the violence in Palestine and Israel. A long, loving look at what is real.

Do we exclude and dominate through our talking? Has Zoom made it worse? How can we leave open space for others in conversation?

In the 1970s, evangelicals were told that good wives should “cure” men’s lust. Still today, this makes men’s “moral failings” the fault of a negligent

We’ve talked a lot about Covid-deniers, mask-refusers, and reckless behavior during the pandemic. But what about those who now cannot reenter society, even though they’ve

Is there a way to hold Pentecostal prophets to some standard, some accountability? Conservative David French seems to think so, or maybe hopes so.

“We have been trained to see adoption as a fairy-tale ending to a tragic story, one that elides the birth mother’s complex feelings about relinquishing

A new study explores what sort of parenting is most successful at passing along religious commitment.

The United States demands too much wisdom from Black parents. We must walk that fine line between telling the truth about how cruel America can

A study in the American Sociological Review finds that women who attend churches with restrictions on their leadership roles are less healthy than women attending

Congratulations to Jim Schaap, regular contributor to The Twelve. “The Story of Chief Standing Bear,” a four-part series on “Small Wonders,” his weekly feature on

“Things were so hectic, people didn’t really have a chance to say, ‘Hey, I’m hurting.’ It took time. With PTSD and moral injury, when that

NPR interviews Beth Barr, church historian, on her new book, The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became the Gospel Truth,

In 2014, 276 mostly Christian female students were kidnapped by an Islamic terrorist group. Some have escaped and some were rescued but 111 are still

Kristin Kobes DuMez writes autobiographically on the messages she received growing up about women’s leadership in the church

Philip Yancey offers three points to better and more civil conversations.

These bills are not addressing any real problem, and they’re not being requested by constituents. It is an effort driven by national far-right organizations to

Carol Bechtel writes, “Hope, as it turns out, is amazingly elastic. By God’s grace, it will stretch.”

Franklin Graham cites the Parable of the Good Samaritan to encourage his followers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

What would it mean to look at a difficult situation and ask ‘What have you come to teach me?’

In a Twitter thread on Wednesday, Moore distanced herself from the evangelical view that men and women have distinct roles and that headship is a

Black churches have been working hard to address the concerns of community members wary of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Most Americans know the President is a Roman Catholic. Whether or not he’s a “good Catholic” depends — not surprisingly — on who you ask.
My father had his first heart attack at 37 years old. Let that sentence sink in for a second. No part of this shocking statement

The practice of baptizing infants has been sufficiently defended by many writers. (Bromiley’s Children of Promise: The Case for Baptizing Infants [1979] and Brownson’s The

The universe is vast. On the average, it is about 140 million miles to Mars, which is our next-door neighbor. Considering the broader solar system

Can a Reformed denomination interpret Scripture collectively to discern God’s will? A Reformed denomination such as the Reformed Church in America is fundamentally a network

I saw them across the water in the early morning, on our lake in Ontario, just beyond Paquin’s Point: a band of geese, maybe half

In the dramatic opening scene of Disney’s Finding Nemo, parents Coral and Marlin anxiously wait for their offspring to hatch. Their mood is light and

“Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house, and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of

My mother-in-law has a fondness for American peanut butter. It used to be hard to find in France. When she came to the United States

In the middle of March 2015, the Elders Board of City Church San Francisco announced in a letter to its congregation (and published on its

A 2015 Pew Research poll indicates that 59 percent of Americans believe that science and faith are “often in conflict.” Sadly, an even larger percentage

In 2013, we saw the publication of Abraham Kuyper: Modern Calvinist, Christian Democrat, the masterful biography by James D. Bratt. When the president of Fuller
The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel?” (1 Samuel 16:1)
Daniel Meeter The lifespan of a dog is about 4,400 days. A mouse gets six hundred. Human beings get 25,560 days, or by reason of