Stanley Hauerwas: 'As you grow, grow confident in the faith'
In a 2002 letter on the occasion of his godson’s baptism, the theologian wishes the boy, not an untroubled life, but a happy life, one in which he grows ever more confident in the faith.
Theological Reflection
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Photo by Franklin Golden
Kate Bowler: Not all pain has to be explained
A young mother diagnosed with cancer talks about her new book, “Everything Happens for a Reason,” and the connection to her work on the prosperity gospel as a Duke Divinity School professor.
Episode 5: Kate Bowler on the presence of God in the face of death
In this episode of “Can These Bones,” co-host Bill Lamar talks with Kate Bowler, Duke Divinity School professor and author of “Everything Happens for a Reason,” about the irony of being a historian of the prosperity gospel diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.
Photographs and other items from the Abraham Joshua Heschel archive, including a 1935 Nazi-issued work permit. Courtesy of Abraham Joshua Heschel Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
Mel Williams: Moses, Heschel, Jesus and us
Today’s Christians face a troubled world, writes a Baptist pastor and activist. Will they have the spiritual audacity to change it?
A statue of Martin Luther stands before the Frauenkirche, "Church of Our Lady," in Dresden, Germany.
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Robert Saler: Why is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation important to study today?
Martin Luther’s legacy can shed light on the nature of freedom -- still contested space in both faith and politics, writes a Lutheran theologian.
Image courtesy of Andrew Root
Excerpt: The Grace of Dogs
In this excerpt from his new book, ‘The Grace of Dogs,’ the theologian finds help from a surprising source when he looks for an answer to his son’s classic question, ‘Will I see my dog in heaven?’
Family photos courtesy of Andrew Root
Andrew Root: The grace of dogs
Dogs are soulful creatures, deeply bound to and connected with human beings in a two-way relationship that looks amazingly like love, says the theologian and author of a new book, ‘The Grace of Dogs.’
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Allison Backous Troy: Praying the Jesus Prayer showed me Christ
In the midst of a painful health crisis, a simple prayer revealed God’s presence not only in the midst of the writer’s own suffering, but also in the suffering of others.
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Edgar Moore: What did St. Paul mean by ‘mystery’?
The prismatic dance of a dogwood’s icy branches prompts a retired UMC elder to reflect on the danger of trying to possess mystery.
Statue of St. Paul near St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Bigstock/vvoevale
Deanna Thompson: From its earliest incarnations, the body of Christ has been a virtual body
Today’s digital networks have an ancient precedent: the apostle Paul led fledgling communities through letters -- showing that even in its earliest days, the church was not dependent on physical presence.