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Content about Social Issues

January 5, 2012
The Progressive Christian Suspends Publication

One of the nation's oldest continuously published social justice magazines ceased publication Jan. 1, falling to the same social and economic forces that have decimated other non-profit organizations and periodicals in recent years.

One of the nation's oldest continuously published social justice magazines ceased publication Jan. 1, falling to the same social and economic forces that have decimated other non-profit organizations and periodicals in recent years.

The Progressive Christian, a 189-year-old magazine of Christian social witness, suspended publication “indefinitely," according to its Board of Directors, after a winter fund-raising campaign fell far short of the financial resources needed to keep the faith-based social justice periodical afloat.

December 9, 2011
Bedlam or Bethlehem?

We are like amnesia victims in a shell-shocked world. We have forgotten who we are and where we belong until we get to Bethlehem.

In an article published in 1996, English Theologian, Don Cupitt, said that "Christmas is the Disneyfication of Christianity." I winced when I read that characterization of Christmas. It hurt because it contains an embarrassing element of truth. Almost all of us participate in the commercialization of Christmas.

December 9, 2011
State of the Church: Where Are the Young People?

Young Americans are seeking spiritual integrity, compassion, real experience and a place that encourages their questions.

In a Sept. 28 article published by the Barna Group, “Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church,” Barna, a nationally respected non-profit research organization dedicated to spiritual development, outlines six reasons why young people stay away from churches:

• Churches seem overprotective: While many churches try to convince members to reject or avoid “worldly” influences, today’s young people are more connected to culture, media and concerns of the world than ever.

November 29, 2011
A Powerful Plea

Hopes for a major turnout of faith representatives were dashed at an opening event for this week's climate conference, but those who attended were energized by Archbishop Desmond Tutu's speech.

 DURBAN, South Africa -- Climate change may be of grave concern to many people, but that would have been hard to tell by the sparse size of the crowd that attended a faith-based rally Sunday in King's Park Stadium in Durban, South Africa.

"It was disappointing really," says Peter VanderMeulen, director of the Christian Reformed Church Office of Social Justice, who attended the rally.

November 29, 2011
Kingdom Sighting in Minneapolis

An "inter-religionist" discovers signs of God's realm breaking out in an unlikely place.

During he past few months, I've struggled hard to identify my current religious practice.  Calling myself a religious dabbler trivializes my experience, and thinking of myself—God forbid-- as a cafeteria Catholic doesn't quite hit the bull's-eye either. But since I like the safety of labels, "inter-religionist" is about as close as I can get.  Let me explain.

November 4, 2011
A House Divided

Churches should try behaving a little more like they're redeemed if they truly want to invite others to Christian faith.

Friedrich Nietzsche was a provocative 19th century German philosopher who is still frequently quoted. He was a severe critic of religion, especially the Christian religion. He once suggested, "The last Christian died on the cross." And concerning Christian evangelism, he said, "If the church wants the world to believe in redemption, then the church ought to look a little more redeemed."

October 3, 2011
National Coming Out Day

The Religious Institute, a national multifaith organization devoted to sexual healing, education and justice, offers worship resources for National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11.

In preparation for National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, the Religious Institute is pleased to offer worship resources to assist clergy in speaking out in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teens and young adults. Please feel free to modify any of these in order to better serve your faith community.

August 24, 2011
Religious Events for 9/11 Tenth Anniversary

Sept. 11 commemorative events planned for the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, have been moved to new locations after a large crane repairing earthquake damage fell on part of the building.

Churches and other faith-based organizations around the United States are gearing up to present a message of hope, faith, tolerance and unity as the nation observes the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

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August 22, 2011
Social and Spiritual Capital

One major value of religion is its tendency to build social capital for people, creating networks of relationships that sustain them in both practical and spiritual ways.

November 14, 2011
'Reasonable Elitism:' Unreasonable and Unholy

David Shasha critiques New York Times' columnist David Brooks' arguments for elitism as absurd contentions that trivialize the morals of great religious traditions.

After his previous article “The Wrong Inequality” was criticized for its snobbery and elitism, it now appears that David Brooks has had his poor little feelings hurt according to his latest column, "The Inequality Map".

October 4, 2011
The Inevitability of the Rise of Progressive Christianity

The world is rapidly changing. And as surely as one day follows the next, Christian theology, as it always has (slavery, anyone?), will change right along with it. As our world grows smaller, our Christianity will grow larger, broader, more inclusive.

September 22, 2011
Assessing the Myths of Interfaith Dialogue

Interfaith dialogue, including currently fraught relations between Israelis and Palestinians, might be more successful if an overlooked common Jewish-Arabic heritage were revived.

Editor's note: In light of this week's effort by the Palestinian Authority to gain statehood through the United Nations, we publish again this insightful 2006 article from the founder of the Sephardic Heritage Center, an organization devoted to preserving and promoting the history and accomplishments of Sephardic Jews.

September 22, 2011
Church and State

Church and state intersect in plenty of ways this week, from the U.S. Supreme Court hearing a labor case on the "ministerial execution" to the barbarity of state-sponsored executions.

There's lots of church-state intersection in Faith and the Common Good on this first official day of fall, so let's get right to it.

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A case involving the firing of a teacher with a disability from a religious school has gone before the U.S. Supreme Court in what many see as a test of the traditional "ministerial exception" regarding hiring practices for religious organizations.

September 19, 2011
DADT Is Gone, But Poverty Lingers

The repeal of DADT and the pain of poverty are in TPC's spotlight.

Of all the common good in prospect for Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011, we can think of few tidings happier than the repeal of the loathsome federal policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." DADT was the scourge of loyal American military personnel who happened to be gay or lesbian for 17 years, and its demise is to be celebrated.

September 19, 2011
Gay Union Ban

Some 800 United Methodist clergy and laity have signed letters urging the denomination's Council of Bishops to uphold the ban on gay unions in the United Methodist Church.

More than 300 United Methodist clergy and 500 laity have signed letters urging the Council of Bishops to take a public stand supporting the denomination's position on marriage and homosexuality.

The letters respond to the pledges to bless same-sex unions signed this summer by more than 900 active and retired clergy across the United States.

September 6, 2011
Deny Them Their Victory

The National Council of Churches' 2001  interfaith statement “Deny Them Their Victory: A Religious Response to Terrorism” has become a historic expression of America's breadth of belief, including noted denominational leaders, theologians,  scholars, prominent pastors and everyday believers from both major and minor religions.

As part of its observance of the tenth anniversary of the Sept., 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, The National Council of Churches has revived a statement of pastoral concern and peacemaking signed by nearly 4,000 people of faith in the weeks after the attack.

August 31, 2011
Fear, Inc.

A new report from the Center for American Progress outlines the forces and funding behind Islamophobia in the United States.

By Wajahat Ali, Eli Clifton, Matthew Duss, Lee Fang , Scott Keyes, Faiz Shakir

August 22, 2011
Faith and Politics

As we look ahead to what promises to be a long, heated, complex election season, the director of a Chicago-based social justice coalition lists some of core reasons why faith and politics do mix.

Reprinted with permission from PCG's newsletter

August 18, 2011
Christian Anti-Oppression/Ministerial Training, Support, Community (Free) Hosanna! People's Seminary announces 2011-12 programs!

Register by 8.31.11 for free Christian Anti-Oppression/Ministerial Training, Support, Community via web-based video conferencing... HOPESEM.ORG

August 11, 2011
New Pew Forum Report Analyzes Countries' Religious Restrictions

More than 2.2 billion people, nearly a third (32 percent) of the world’s total population of 6.9 billion, live in countries where either government restrictions on religion or social hostilities involving religion rose substantially between mid-2006 and mid-2009, according to a new study on global restrictions on religion released today by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life.

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

August 11, 2011
Presidential candidates' faith at center of media scrutiny

After Gov. Rick Perry's Reliant revival -- an all-day prayer meeting (with no-dinner-on-the-ground) -- last weekend, God is sure to be a major part of next year's presidential election whether he wants to be or not.

Reprinted with permission from The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

After Gov. Rick Perry's Reliant revival -- an all-day prayer meeting (with no-dinner-on-the-ground) -- last weekend, God is sure to be a major part of next year's presidential election whether he wants to be or not.

Even without Perry getting into the race, which he's expected to do within days, several Republican contenders have been making God and Christian values an issue.

August 11, 2011
True Christian voters don't politicize the Bible

As contentious debates over values and the 2012 election heat up, it’s essential that the voices and concerns of most people of faith are not drowned out in an attempt identify “faith based” voting with a narrow agenda.

Reprinted with the author's permission from Des Moines Register.com

August 10, 2011
Expand the Child Tax Credit

Using tax policy to fight abortion and save Social Security

As the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, it is time to take a stand for the unborn, for families and the aged. If the committee does any thing at all about tax reform, it is expected that it will stop the Mortgage Interest Deduction, which mostly benefits upper income taxpayers, and reduce their tax rates - while at the same time increasing revenue.

August 8, 2011
Debauchery, Gluttony and Literalism, Oh, My!

Twice as many people around the world joined in a "Day of Debauchery and Gluttony" as those who attended Texas Gov. Rick Perry's "Day of Prayer and Fasting" in Houston on Aug. 6. What's more, they had fun poking fun at Perry's egregious hijacking of First Amendment privileges for conservative  Christians only.

Mark Kaplan of Dallas, Texas, started a Facebook joke about Texas Gov. Rick Perry's "Day of Prayer and Fasting" on Aug. 6, and it turned into a worldwide phenomenon.

August 3, 2011
Five Scriptures You Won't Hear at Rick Perry's Prayer Event

The heart of Christian faith and ethics is being a good neighbor, something that the sponsors of Gov. Rick Perry's Aug. 6 prayer event don't practice, writes Austin pastor Jim Rigby.

As a native Texan, I'm used to crazy religion and crazy politics. So, the announcement of Gov. Rick Perry's plans for "The Response," a prayer event scheduled for Aug. 6 at Houston's Reliant Stadium, was not a surprise.