“American Views on Reasons to Believe in a Creator” finds that traditional evidences for belief in a creator resonate with most Americans, including many of the nonreligious. Students can gain clarity on the assumptions among and about the nonreligious from this study. For example, more than 4 in 10 of the nonreligious believe physics and […]
This NYT op/ed piece from physicist Laurence Krauss offers a study piece for apologetics. Students can consider his premises and logic, his style of presentation and degree of connection with readers, and the extent to which his examples and reasoning convey a comprehensive grasp of the world as we experience it in the lab, the […]
This report on “Religion scholar boycotts BYU conference to protest university policy” provides a case study for students to consider regarding participation in public discourse in sessions and contexts that do not align with their sincere convictions. Mark Juergensmeyer, a sociology professor from the University of California Santa Barbara who is a past president of the […]
This LA Times article, “Gov. Brown signs controversial assisted-suicide bill,” covers the news item itself with several quotes and views on the event. Students and courses interested in the topic can begin here and move to other sources and analyses. The California law will permit physicians to provide lethal prescriptions to mentally competent adults who […]
The Columbia Journalism Reviews examines “Why the religion beat poses unique challenges for some reporters.” The article may serve as a discussion piece for students in journalism and writing. This first person account considers the issues reporters may sometimes face when covering news related to religio: “A unique challenge facing many religion reporters involves the need to be […]
“Who’s Your Teacher?” is an essay on our sacred duty to teach the devil to death and begins this way: “Martin Luther’s prescription for pastors and preachers (including himself) who neglect the catechetical training of their congregation was characteristically colorful and coarse: ‘we deserve not only to be given no food to eat, but also […]
In his article, “Sporting Transcendence,” Richard Mouw explores the themes in athletics of competition, transcendence, felllowship, and community. This brief essay may serve to induct students into the multifaceted experiences of human nature for players, teams, observers, fans, and the larger culture. Mouw also links to an article by Martin Siegel in America titled, “Good Sports: Getting Closer […]
Pope Francis is boosting the reputation of the Catholic Church among Protestant pastors in America. As church and culture relations continue to change, nearly 4 in 10 say the pope, known for his humility and concern for the poor, has had a positive impact on their opinions of the Catholic Church, LifeWay Research finds. Almost […]
A Tennessee judge has ruled against a PCUSA minister, Rev. Roger Dermody, in his defamation case when a Presbyterian Mission Agency Board internal investigation found that four PCUSA employees had participated in the creation of an unauthorized mission work plan. Dermody filed a lawsuit against PCUSA, accusing the denomination of defamation. In its defense, the church specifically […]
“Quantum Physics and the Need for a New Paradigm” will provoke advocates of philosophical naturalism, intelligent design, science-of-the-gaps critics, and other participants in the disputes about origins and explanations of reality. The author, physicist Ruth Kastner, is talking her book (Understanding Our Unseen Reality: Solving Quantum Riddles) here but does a fair and concise job of […]
