When Matthias was chosen as an apostle to replace Judas Iscariot, he was selected by the casting of lots. Although this practice seems odd to us and evidently isn’t followed today, it’s not quite as strange as it may initially seem.
The philosophy of Plato was a major influence in the development of Christian theology. In at least one aspect, though, it seems in irreconcilable conflict with the Hebraic scriptures upon which Christianity is based.
The millions of young souls who stand in line for Star Wars whenever a new episode arrives shows that kids today aren’t lost at all. They are a generation holding to hope.
When the Reformers jettisoned much of Roman Catholic tradition, it was by no means certain that Christmas would survive. A debate about the legitimacy of the holiday broke that continues in some circles even today.
Jensenville, like Brigadoon, can’t be found on a map. That’s just the name locals give the place. It’s bottom lands mostly — bird lands — a mile or two below Brigham City.
Here are several upcoming religious or faith-based events, including the Shroud of Turin Conference on Saturday, the Diwali Festival of Lights on Saturday and A Puerto Rican Festival of the Kings, to benefit Hurricane Maria victims, on Dec. 15.
For the record, Reza Aslan is a believer, though of a rarefied breed. Raised in Iran as a Muslim, he converted to Christianity, then re-converted to Islam. But the second time, he took some Christianity with him.
In its catastrophic way, the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 was also (and significantly) revolutionary with respect to religion, and its effects are still being felt a century later.
How in the world can America’s splintered pieces ever be united again? I fear we are a Humpty Dumpty country now. And horses and men will never be able to glue us together. It will take an act of God. See you at church, folks.
In a year that commemorates the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, it’s appropriate to think for a few moments, too, of the greatest musician in the German Protestant tradition.
Rumi was a Sufi, what we’ve come to call a Whirling Dervish. Like King David, he danced his prayers. And, like David, he wrote poems that will be part of humanity as long as humanity endures.
The founding of the Church of England took a quite different path than the other major Reformation groups.
Jean-Pierre Isbouts, a California college professor, has been sifting history searching for prayers. They’re everywhere — from the soaring lyrics of King David to the chants of the Navajos. Isbouts settled on “10 Prayers that Changed the World.”
Ulrich Zwingli relatively little known outside of his native country, but he was one of the major factors in the rise of Protestantism.
At the beginning of the Reformation, there were basically two streams of Protestantism. It didn’t take long, however, for the movement to split into many often antagonistic sects.
Saudi Arabia’s surprise decision to grant women the right to drive in the conservative kingdom marks a significant expansion in women’s rights, but activists said Wednesday it is also only the first step in a long list of demands for equality.
Utahn Laura Warburton used Katie Byron’s four questions of The Work to help find peace with lingering “what if” questions after Warburton’s daughter’s suicide.
There’s a lot of light in Las Vegas. But Santos Sosa has made it his mission to bring a better quality of light to town with his Christian bookstore. He’s been at it now for 17 years.
He left behind one of the great literary monuments of Reformation theology, as well as a controversial attempt to build a godly state in the city of Geneva.
Most people have heard of the Protestant Reformation, but the Catholic Counter-Reformation is much less well known. However, it had an enormous impact upon the history and culture of Europe and of the world beyond.
We’ve learned what not to fear. We no longer fear natural wonders in the sky. The problem is, we don’t know what is worth fearing. We struggle to distinguish what’s deadly from what’s benign.
One of the great achievements of German literature is the Luther Bible, which arose out of political drama and transformed the history of Europe and the world.
So, like a knight heading off on another crusade, here I am again mounting a trip to Forest Lawn to see a window that’s as wonderful as fireworks on the water.
It’s been said that the little things are the big things. This applies to many aspects of life, but especially to the small courtesies, the little acts of kindness that end up making a big difference.