Guest Voices: Christianity


Posted at 12:55 PM ET, 12/24/2012

Pastor to spend Christmas in Iranian prison, imprisoned for his faith
By Jordan Sekulow and Matthew Clark
Pressure must be placed on the Iranian regime to release Saeed Abedini, say lawyers.

By Jordan Sekulow and Matthew Clark  |  12:55 PM ET, 12/24/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Christmas; pastor; Iranian prison; persecution; convert; Islam; Christianity; Jordan Sekulow; Matthew Clark; Youcef Nadarkhani; American pastor; Saeed Abedini; ACLJ;

Posted at 10:59 AM ET, 12/24/2012

Why (or how) should Muslim Americans ‘celebrate’ Christmas?
By Faheem Younus
Serving mankind is a part of a Muslim’s faith, says author.

By Faheem Younus  |  10:59 AM ET, 12/24/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Christmas; Faheem Younus; Muslims; December; Muslim youth; Muslims; Islam; Isa; Jesus; Christianity; Merry Christmas; Happy Holidays; birth of Christ; Muslim Americans

Posted at 12:14 PM ET, 12/10/2012

Making meaning out of the holiday season
By Marion L. Usher
Talk about what is important and create your own ways to do acts of kindness, says a family therapist.

By Marion L. Usher  |  12:14 PM ET, 12/10/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Chanukah; Hanukkah; Marion L. Usher; families; interfaith families; interfaith couples; extended family; Judaism; Jewish; Christian; Christianity;

Posted at 06:05 PM ET, 12/05/2012

Michelangelo, religious tolerance and the 500th anniversary of the Sistine Chapel ceiling
By Benjamin Blech
Rabbi says frescoes offer a barely concealed message of respect for the righteous of all faiths.

By Benjamin Blech  |  06:05 PM ET, 12/05/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Michelangelo, religious tolerance and the 500th anniversary of the Sistine Chapel ceiling; Rabbi Benjamin Blech; Benjamin Blech; frescoes; Sistine Chapel; Vatican Museums; Rome; most-visited museum complex on earth; museum complex; Michelangelo; Second Vatican Council; religious intolerance; Pope John Paul II; Jews; Christianity; Christianity’s older brothers and sisters; prayer; Western Wall; Jerusalem; God; Catholic Church; mistreatment of the Jews; Sistine; Christians; Jewish roots of Jesus and Christianity; art; museums; Jews of Venice; Venice; ghetto; Pope Julius II; virgin Mary; Genesis; Adam and Eve; Noah; Aminadab; anti-Semitism on Aminadab; Hebrew; pope; Vicar of Christ; Vicar of God; Successor of the Prince of the Apostles; Bishop of Rome; successor to St. Peter; Roman Catholic Church; Bible; Church of Santa Croce; Nicolò Matas; Star of David; Mogen David; Rabbi Benjamin Blech; Yeshiva University; The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo’s Forbidden Messages In The Heart Of The Vatican

Posted at 04:30 PM ET, 11/29/2012

‘Amish Mafia’ is a shameful, unrealistic portrayal of plain people
By Michael Shank
New Discovery Channel show is latest mockery of the Amish and Mennonites, says a D.C. writer.

By Michael Shank  |  04:30 PM ET, 11/29/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  ‘Amish Mafia’ is a shame, unrealistic portrayal of plain people; Michael Shank; Amish; Mennonite; Amish Mennonite community; Web site; website; Discovery Channel; TLC; The Learning Channel; Nreaking Amish; Amish mafia; peace; plain people; plainpeople; Amish in the City; Kingpin; Witness; Deadly Blessing; For Richer or Poorer; Amish people; Amish mockery; Mennonite mockery; Amish Mennonite mockery; Christians; Christianity; faith; television; reality show; Mennonite preacher; Muslim; Islam; hijabs; covering; Amish-Mennonites ; shalwar kameez; scarf; Amish mafia; shootings; Lancaster Pennsylvania; Lancaster; Kidron, Ohio; Kidron; Amish victims; School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution; National Peace Academy

Posted at 11:04 AM ET, 11/29/2012

Pro-Putin youths: Mormons, go home
By David Mason
A Mormon reflects on Russian President Vladmir Putin’s young supporters’ protest of the church.

By David Mason  |  11:04 AM ET, 11/29/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Mormons go home; David Mason; Russia; Young Guard; LDS Church; Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Vladimir Putin; United Russia; Russian president; anti-Mormon policy; Mormons; Christianity; Anna Chapman; Mormon Moment; spy-exchange; geo-religio-political; Russian government

Posted at 12:28 PM ET, 11/23/2012

Kathie Lee Gifford’s musical is a labor of love that brings light to a dark world
By Larry Ross
The show will inspire people of faith and enlighten seekers of truth, says a PR rep for Christian clients.

By Larry Ross  |  12:28 PM ET, 11/23/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Larry Ross; Kathie Lee; Kathie Lee Gifford; Frank Gifford; Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson; Aimee Semple McPherson; television personality; Today show; Broadway; people of faith; seekers of truth; Great White Way; radio evangelist; faith; religion; Christian; Christianity; Louella Parsons; gossip columnist; Sister Aimee; A. Larry Ross; A. Larry Ross Communications; show; Scandalous;

Posted at 03:42 PM ET, 11/15/2012

How does a ‘Jubilee’ roll? Jesus explains.
By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite
What Jesus thought needed to be done about debt in the first century is also what needs to happen for indebted Americans in the 21st century, says a theologian.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite  |  03:42 PM ET, 11/15/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Occupy; Jesus; #OccupytheBible; money; power; Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite; economic issues; economic plan; Jubilee; jubilee; debt forgiveness; first century; indebted Americans; Center for American Progress; Rolling Jubilee; Occupy Wall Street; 21st century; Occupy movement; debt collectors; consumer debt; economic system; Congressional Budget Office chart; CBO chart; Christians; Christianity; Gospels; Occupy; Jesus; #OccupytheBible; money; power; Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite; economic issues; economic plan; Jubilee; jubilee; debt forgiveness

Posted at 06:04 PM ET, 09/21/2012

‘Jesus wife’ papyrus provides confirmation on early church history
By Cynthia Bourgeault
Text offers detail quite different from what eventually became the officially sanctioned story.

By Cynthia Bourgeault  |  06:04 PM ET, 09/21/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Jesus wife papyrus; Jesus' wife; gnostic; early Christianity; Karen King;

Posted at 01:02 PM ET, 09/21/2012

“Jesus’ wife”: Nothing to fear, something to learn
By Michael Peppard
Coptic papyrus does not change what historians are doing. Let’s not overestimate it or underestimate it.

By Michael Peppard  |  01:02 PM ET, 09/21/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Jesus' wife papyrus; Karen L. King; Coptic papyrus; Christianity; Gnostic; early Christians; New Testament

Posted at 02:17 PM ET, 09/19/2012

Understanding Christian Zionism
By John Hagee
Support for Israel is not just an issue for many Christians; it is their primary foreign policy focus.

By John Hagee  |  02:17 PM ET, 09/19/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Christian Zionism; Israel; Judaism; Christianity; John Hagee; CUFI; Christians United for Israel

Posted at 10:10 PM ET, 07/30/2012

Episcopal Church promotes the “T” in LGBT equation
By Becky Garrison
The Episcopal Church made history at its 77th triennial General Convention by passing two gender nondiscrimination resolutions.

By Becky Garrison  |  10:10 PM ET, 07/30/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Episcopal Church, transgender, General Convention, Christianity

Posted at 12:44 PM ET, 07/28/2012

Rediscovering the reasons for our existence
By Mariann Edgar Budde
Many are quietly at work rebuilding the spiritual and congregational foundations of the Episcopal Church we love.

By Mariann Edgar Budde  |  12:44 PM ET, 07/28/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, Ross Douthat, Episcopal Church, Christianity

Posted at 12:31 PM ET, 06/28/2012

Reason rules the Roberts Court on ‘Obamacare’, but Christians need to continue to advocate for the poor
By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite
it is critical that Christians speak directly to their belief that as people of faith we must care for the sick as though each sick person were Jesus of Nazareth himself.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite  |  12:31 PM ET, 06/28/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  christianity, health care

Posted at 10:27 PM ET, 06/16/2012

A father’s legacy
By Paul Cole
Can this weekend become not just a celebration of birth, but a renewal of hope?

By Paul Cole  |  10:27 PM ET, 06/16/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  father's day, christianity, forgiveness

Posted at 06:04 PM ET, 06/03/2012

Faith in women
By Amineh Ahmed Hoti
Interfaith dialogue among women is crucial for the healing of a country like Pakistan.

By Amineh Ahmed Hoti  |  06:04 PM ET, 06/03/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  women, pakistan, religon, islam, christianity, interfaith

Posted at 03:48 PM ET, 05/09/2012

Making sense of marriage news
By Jim Daly
Traditional marriage is the best chance of creating a building block for a thriving society.

By Jim Daly  |  03:48 PM ET, 05/09/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  gay rights, christianity, north carolina, obama

Posted at 07:50 PM ET, 04/14/2012

Rita Wilson’s big fat Greek Orthodox Easter
By Rita Wilson
In richness of ritual and tradition, the Greeks know how to do Easter.

By Rita Wilson  |  07:50 PM ET, 04/14/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  easter, christianity

Posted at 05:01 PM ET, 04/04/2012

Why did Jesus need to die?
By Tony Jones
Much ink has been spilled trying to work out this doctrine, called the “atonement” by theologians.

By Tony Jones  |  05:01 PM ET, 04/04/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  christianity, atonement, jesus

Posted at 04:28 PM ET, 04/04/2012

Did Jesus exist?
By Bart D. Ehrman
The celebration of Jesus’ death by crucifixion from the very early days of the Christian movement is secure evidence that Jesus did exist.

By Bart D. Ehrman  |  04:28 PM ET, 04/04/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  jesus, god, messiah, christianity, easter

Posted at 02:18 PM ET, 03/27/2012

Reason Rally’s unreasonable beliefs
By Cal Thomas
What should have shocked the media was the movement’s open hostility to people of faith.

By Cal Thomas  |  02:18 PM ET, 03/27/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  atheism, christianity, faith, reason rally, religion politics

Posted at 02:04 PM ET, 03/26/2012

Holy hoodies: Trayvon Martin, a child of God
By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite
Americans of conscience have been coming together to mourn in worship and march wearing the hoodie.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite  |  02:04 PM ET, 03/26/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Treyvon Martin, christianity

Posted at 04:57 PM ET, 03/23/2012

Blessed are those with a persecution complex?
By Paula Kirby
Being required to honor a contract you have voluntarily entered into is not persecution.

By Paula Kirby  |  04:57 PM ET, 03/23/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  christianity, atheism

Posted at 11:49 AM ET, 03/22/2012

What atheist groups learned from the Christian Coalition
By Herb Silverman
Could the conservative Christian group have a valuable political lesson for diverse groups of atheists?

By Herb Silverman  |  11:49 AM ET, 03/22/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  reason rally, religious freedom, atheism, secularism, christianity

Posted at 11:20 AM ET, 03/22/2012

Saudi’s top sheikh: ‘Necessary to destroy all churches’
By Nasim Rehmatullah and Harris Zafar
How can the highest recognized cleric in Saudi Arabia have completely abandoned such clear and direct commandments in the Koran? 

By Nasim Rehmatullah and Harris Zafar  |  11:20 AM ET, 03/22/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  islam, christianity, suadi arabia

Posted at 06:17 PM ET, 03/21/2012

Atheists don’t own reason
By Tom Gilson
New atheists have no business proclaiming themselves the defenders of reason.

By Tom Gilson  |  06:17 PM ET, 03/21/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  christianity, reason, atheism, reason rally

Posted at 12:56 PM ET, 03/19/2012

Gingrich: Obama ‘crushes’ Christianity; appeases radical Islam
By Georgetown/ On Faith
“Appeasing radical Islam whole while crushing Christianity and Judaism strikes me as exactly what’s wrong in America today,” Gingrich said at a campaign event.

By Georgetown/ On Faith  |  12:56 PM ET, 03/19/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  quote of the day, faith 2012, newt gingrich, islam, obama, christianity

Posted at 10:37 PM ET, 03/18/2012

‘The Hunger Games’ and movie morality
By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite
The popularity of The Hunger Games tells us young people are fearful of the future, and they think they’re on their own in fighting for a better world.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite  |  10:37 PM ET, 03/18/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  the hunger games, christianity, fear, religion, morality

Posted at 09:47 PM ET, 03/18/2012

Five reasons to stop questioning the president’s faith
By Faheem Younus
That absurd question, “Do you think Barack Obama is a Muslim?” keeps nagging the American psyche.

By Faheem Younus  |  09:47 PM ET, 03/18/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  islam, christianity, religion politics

Posted at 10:15 PM ET, 03/16/2012

For Tyler Clementi, ‘hate the sin, love the sinner’ not enough
By Brent Childres
Immunity can no longer be given to misguided church teaching’s bias and intimidation toward gay and lesbian youth and families.

By Brent Childres  |  10:15 PM ET, 03/16/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  tyler clementi, homosexuality, christianity

Posted at 03:02 PM ET, 03/12/2012

Senator Inhofe’s theological conundrum
By Mathew N. Schmalz
According to the senator’s logic, human action is necessary to safeguard Israel; no human action is needed to safeguard our climate.

By Mathew N. Schmalz  |  03:02 PM ET, 03/12/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  religion politics, free will, christianity, israel, global warming

Posted at 04:58 PM ET, 03/09/2012

Why Pat Robertson’s pot plan is a (bong) pipe dream
By Joseph A. Califano Jr.
Why legalizing pot will likely INCREASE criminal activity and DRAIN public coffers.

By Joseph A. Califano Jr.  |  04:58 PM ET, 03/09/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  marijuana, christianity

Posted at 02:35 PM ET, 03/08/2012

Debunking Kirk Cameron’s Christianity
By Becky Garrison
When it comes to Jesus’ radical embrace of all people, Cameron still has some growing to do.

By Becky Garrison  |  02:35 PM ET, 03/08/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  piers morgan, kirk cameron, homosexuality, christianity

Posted at 12:11 AM ET, 03/05/2012

Mary Magdalene to Rush Limbaugh: Your apology is too little, too late
By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite
The change in the historical perception of Mary Magdalene should remind Rush Limbaugh why he can’t silence women like Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke.

By Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite  |  12:11 AM ET, 03/05/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  rush limbaugh, sandra fluke, sexuality, christianity

Posted at 02:04 PM ET, 02/22/2012

The faux birth control debate
By Becky Garrison
The Supreme Court has already decided that “any institution that can’t in good faith follow [standard] rules shouldn’t apply for public funding.”

By Becky Garrison  |  02:04 PM ET, 02/22/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  birth control, contraception, christianity

Posted at 08:41 PM ET, 02/17/2012

Jeremy Lin’s bold humility
By June-Ho Kim
Everything Lin needed to know about servant leadership, he learned at Harvard.

By June-Ho Kim  |  08:41 PM ET, 02/17/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  jeremy lin, christianity, the knicks