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Archive: January 2, 2011 - January 8, 2011
Religious extremism is the problem
There are two elements to the issue at hand, the political and the religious. While they have different solutions, the problem is the same: extreme religious fundamentalism, or more specifically, extremist Muslim fundamentalism.
By Ramdas Lamb | January 7, 2011; 5:19 PM ET | Comments (0)
Selective highlighting of scriptures has gone viral
Let us be more inclusive; get rid of the caricatures of "others" handed to us by previous generations; and explore the interconnections, interdependencies and similarities.
By Rajan Zed | January 7, 2011; 3:17 PM ET | Comments (0)
A Christian response to violence: radical love
I believe that the violence that greeted this New Year and that stained the season of peace and good will with blood ought to be and can be overcome with our prayers for both victims and perpetrators of violence. It can be overcome with our radical love.
By Valerie Elverton Dixon | January 6, 2011; 8:42 PM ET | Comments (0)
Eco-friendly Christian theme park confounds
Perhaps the the planners behind the Ark Encounter exhibit realized that their scientific skepticism doesn't necessitate environmental skepticism or perhaps they're reconsidering all the creation care passages in scripture. Either way, it is a welcome shift of biblical proportions.
By Jonathan Merritt | January 6, 2011; 8:24 AM ET | Comments (18)
WJW: The other, the self
If we get over the fear of otherness, we may just bridge the vast abyss that separates people from each other and ourselves from God.
By Erica Brown | January 5, 2011; 8:08 PM ET | Comments (0)
Engagement or provocation? Going too far in faith critiques
No lying or distortion, no gratuitous insults, do your homework, and be explicit about how your faith commitments influence your critiques. That's how to tell the difference between engagement of other faiths and provocation.
By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | January 5, 2011; 3:03 PM ET | Comments (6)
Constitutional contrivance: House leadership goes for the gimmick
As a big supporter of the separation of church and state, I'm looking to the Republican's newfound appreciation for the Constitution, particularly the part in the document that says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
By Barry Lynn | January 5, 2011; 12:11 PM ET | Comments (26)
Half of the world cannot go to war
Christians and Muslims together form half the world's population, and as a Muslim educated in Pakistan by Christians, it breaks my heart to see these two great faiths in conflict.
By Akbar Ahmed | January 4, 2011; 6:01 PM ET | Comments (153)
Loving your enemies
We may all share fear, but we also all share hope that it will get better and faith that the divine wills peace. History teaches us all: Peace never comes through violence. Love your neighbors, including your enemies.
By Janet Edwards | January 4, 2011; 3:06 PM ET | Comments (16)
Religion must fix what it breaks
When it comes to religious conflicts and religion-inspired violence, most people need religious solutions.
By Brad Hirschfield | January 4, 2011; 2:54 PM ET | Comments (44)
Evangelicals must rise to the occasion
Evangelicals in the U.S. may be mocked and harassed, but we are not persecuted. Our brothers and sisters need us; will we rise to the occasion?
By Jordan Sekulow | January 4, 2011; 2:43 PM ET | Comments (51)
We must pray for persecuted Christians
We must pray for persecuted Christians everywhere around the world.
By R. Albert Mohler Jr. | January 4, 2011; 2:32 PM ET | Comments (16)
The fruits of exclusionary monotheisms
Secular government, one that establishes "a wall of separation between Church & State," and ensures the rights of each individual, is the only way to ensure the violence of Egypt, Nigeria, Iraq, or Pakistan can end.
By Jason Pitzl-Waters | January 4, 2011; 2:01 PM ET | Comments (10)
Christians in America must speak out
What we are witnessing is another in a long list of incidents by radicalized Muslim terrorists against anyone and any faith not to their liking.
By Cal Thomas | January 4, 2011; 12:43 PM ET | Comments (7)
Blasphemy laws: alive and well in the U.S.?
In Pakistan, a religious offense could lead to your execution. In America, under the Boehner standard as seen in the Smithsonian controversy, such offense may only lead to your work being unavailable for some public exhibition. But it is still censorship.
By Barry Lynn | January 4, 2011; 11:34 AM ET | Comments (14)
Religious leaders must safeguard life
True religion, rather than doing violence to the other, suffers with the other. This is the root meaning of the word "compassion" - "to suffer with." Let's be willing to bear one another's sufferings in a way that fosters tolerance, respect, life, faith, and peace.
By Fr. Frank Pavone | January 4, 2011; 11:06 AM ET | Comments (52)
Religion can bear witness to truth
It will take the concerted efforts of all concerned: common individuals, political powers, and religious organizations, if 2011 is to be a year different from other years marked by sectarian depredations.
By Max Carter | January 4, 2011; 9:39 AM ET | Comments (3)
The danger of faith trumping reason
As long as religious beliefs are immunized from critical scrutiny and the possibility of revision, reinterpretation, and even rejection, we should expect there to be more suicide bombings, more holy wars, more strangers praying for the salvation of your soul, and more apocalyptic preachers on television looking forward to the end of the world.
By Rajdeep Singh | January 4, 2011; 12:57 AM ET | Comments (8)
A fundamental human right
In this twenty-first century, blasphemy laws have not yet been eradicated, and they must be. In the past, Christians used them to prosecute non-Christians or Christians with the "wrong" beliefs, and now Muslims most frequently use them. Our political "ally" Pakistan has a mandatory death sentence for anyone convicted of insulting Islam. While blasphemy laws have been used worldwide to persecute minorities, Christians are currently the main target in Pakistan.
By Herb Silverman | January 3, 2011; 10:08 PM ET | Comments (16)
Don't be fooled: this is political power disguised as religious violence
The faith challenge here is to recognize that this is an emerging pattern of brutal, violent political manipulation of religion, and reject it.
By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite | January 3, 2011; 7:48 PM ET | Comments (17)
