Patheos

Patheos.com is the world's premier website for information and dialogue on all of the world's major faith traditions, with daily contributions from Patheos Experts.

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The Meaning of the Cross: Alternative Views of the Atonement

Tuesday April 03, 2012
Though more complicated, a "third way" model of atonement makes Jesus' crucifixion, while a horrific event, understandable and hope-filled.

Facebook Prophets

Thursday January 26, 2012
Facebook prophets are not voices crying in the wilderness, but shouting with the crowds.

Rick Santorum: 100% Social Conservative, 0% Latter Day Saint

Wednesday January 18, 2012
I wonder, readers, where do you stand on these questions? Is the Church of Latter Day Saints a branch of Christianity? Does it matter to you whether or not a candidate for office is Christian?

The Issue-Driven Church

Friday November 11, 2011
Life in the church has become like life everywhere in America: "Issues are Us." But isn't God bigger than the issue of the moment?

A Welcome Mat of Peace

Monday September 19, 2011
Interreligious understanding and peace begins in intimate ways: through education, by music, in our homes, with our welcome mats.

The War Within

Monday September 12, 2011
The desire to erase the complexities and the fear of responding to evil is understandable, but they are also symptomatic of spiritual malaise and poverty.

The Hypocrisy That Kills Young Souls

Friday September 09, 2011
If we choose to raise our children in schools and religious communities that practice peaceful conflict resolution, why can't we choose leaders who uphold these same values and practices?

Sex Ed in New York

Wednesday August 24, 2011
New York's new sex education mandate proves that efforts at social control are not restricted to conservative Christians.

Put Ruth on the Supercommittee

Wednesday August 17, 2011
Why the gender makeup of the congressional supercommittee matters to you and me.

Spiritual Lessons I Learned On Vacation

Thursday August 04, 2011
There's something important about the process of stepping away from life as we know it, and stepping into life as we do not know it, stepping into the sacred time that is vacation

Living in the Now and Not Yet: Toward a Theology of Progressive Christianity

Wednesday June 22, 2011
What I'd propose as an underlying theology for a 21st-century progressive Christianity is our belief and participation in what theologians call, variously, "realized eschatology."

Going Up? Reflections on Ascension Day

Wednesday June 01, 2011
Of course, it’s not out of the question that Jesus defied gravity, but is that the real point? Is the Ascension about gravity or spirituality, geography or vocation?

Has the Church Failed GLBT Teens?

Thursday May 26, 2011
As congregations argue over scripture and tradition, many of our gay teens are quickly figuring out that there may be no place for them in the Church.

Believe Out Begins with Believe In

Tuesday May 17, 2011
If all that Progressive Christianity has going for it is that it is politically progressive, then there is really no reason to wrap churchy language around it.

Holy War and Christian Pacifism: Christian Responses to the Death of Bin Laden

Friday May 13, 2011
This is where I want to land theologically and spiritually on violence in my name: Jesus called us to rise above our worst impulses, above our fear and anger.

What William, Kate and the Royal Wedding Can Teach Us

Tuesday April 26, 2011
How might the Royal Wedding represent something good and beautiful and even spiritual despite all the commemorative rings and stamps and plates trailing in its wake?

The Resurrection of Jesus: Physical/Bodily or Spiritual/Mystical?

Wednesday April 20, 2011
What would it mean to say that the risen Jesus is a physical/bodily reality? That he continues to be a molecular, protoplasmic, corpuscular being existing somewhere? Does that make any sense?

Clean Feet: A Maundy Thursday Meditation on John 13:1-7

Monday April 18, 2011
This text is not about watching Jesus put his hands on somebody else's feet. It's about letting Jesus put his hands on our feet.

Naked Spirituality and The Other Jesus: A Conversation between Brian McLaren and Greg Garrett

Wednesday April 06, 2011
In this exclusive Patheos interview, friends and fellow authors Brian McLaren and Greg Garrett discuss their new books and the passion that drives them to talk about authentic faith and practice.

Of Storks and the Canaries: Youth Ministry, New Vocations, and the Future of the Church

Tuesday March 29, 2011
The stork doesn't bring babies and it doesn't bring a new generation of Christians either. If we don't nurture a younger generation in the faith, they aren't coming.

Noisy TV, Noisy Church

Monday March 14, 2011
It's time to drop our fascination with noisy church and ask ourselves what it might mean to be faithful.

Beck, Obama and God on Taxes and Spending

Friday March 04, 2011
Can secular government have a part in doing God's justice? Can taxes and spending help create a more just society?

The World is Flat ... and Shaky

Tuesday March 01, 2011
On a global, national, and individual level, the roiling changes will require souls that are sustained by values shaped by something beyond the terrain of our lives.

The Other Jesus: A New Interview with Author Greg Garrett

Wednesday February 23, 2011
Love, Hope, and "The Other Jesus": An Interview with Greg Garrett."I couldn't be a Christian in the tradition into which I was born, and I thought that meant that I couldn't be a Christian, period." Greg Garrett on discovering the other Jesus.

Why the Revolution in Egypt Could Be Dangerous for Our Youth

Thursday February 17, 2011
What happens if teens discover that the pacifist life of Jesus turns out to be an actual possibility for a way to be in the world?

What's In Your Heart?

Wednesday February 09, 2011
The spiritual question that keeps coming to me this Valentine’s Day is “What’s in your heart?”

Ancient Stones, Living Stones

Wednesday February 02, 2011
A post from the blog, "Ancient Stones, Living Stones," featuring stories from a group of Christians on an alternative tour of the Holy Land.

Fans or Friends? Reflections on Matthew 5:1-12

Tuesday January 25, 2011
I like Facebook, but I have somehow ended up with lots of friends I don't even know. Maybe that's how Jesus feels. Lots of people ask to be his friends, and when he confirms them, they never give him another thought.

Christians and Guns

Friday January 21, 2011
Love for our neighbors suggests that we should accept restrictions on some absolute right to bear arms in order to protect our neighbors.

The God of Pregnant Women

Monday January 17, 2011
"The God I love is not a God who stands, armed with judgment, at the doors of life's complexities." Reflections from a minister on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Letters From Haiti

Wednesday January 12, 2011
On the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, we're honored to share several personal stories of hope and faith from some who survived and continue to work and live amidst the ruins.

Tragedy in Tucson: An All-Too-Real Parable Unfolding

Tuesday January 11, 2011
The tragedy in Tucson this week has brought us once again to the brink of asking all the right questions. What is it going to take for us to wake up to the truth that hateful and violent speech leads to hateful and violent actions?

Politics, Religion & Culture: Top Picks 2010

Friday January 07, 2011
Greg Garrett's top 10 picks for the pop culture artifacts from 2010 carrying powerful lessons about religion and politics.

Epiphany Practices: Home By Another Way

Monday January 03, 2011
Awakened to divine companionship, the road less traveled can become a holy adventure with surprises and epiphanies around each corner.

Endings and the Christmas Story

Wednesday December 29, 2010
To the extent that the original Christmas story was a story about power, then, it was a story about God's power.

Why The Incarnation Matters

Tuesday December 21, 2010
What does it mean for us that God chose to enter the world in flesh and blood -- incarnate -- through a poor baby in Bethlehem? We invited a dozen theobloggers to consider the question: "Why Does the Incarnation Matter?" And we asked them, as usual, to do it in 100 words or less.

Mysticism, Mission and Malevolence

Friday December 17, 2010
This is the season to remember we all need to be mystics. Mary encountered an angel, Joseph had a dream, and the magi followed a star.

A Merry Public Christmas

Monday December 13, 2010
Insisting that people say "Merry Christmas" won't make people believe what we believe about Christmas any more than putting up a creche on the courthouse lawn will.