Religion Dispatches
…cost of true discipleship. The price it was called upon to pay was all too cheap…We gave away the word and sacraments wholesale; we baptized, confirmed, and absolved a whole nation unasked and without condition…Was there ever a more terrible and disastrous instance of Christianizing the world than this? It’s regrettable, I think, that “cheap grace” has turned into a kind of meme that Rod Dreher can toss into his debate with Andrew Sullivan without…
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…a random sample size and therefore isn’t statistically representative. The number of individuals reporting victimization in Episcopal spaces is alarming nonetheless. However, I would argue the data is more likely to under- than to overestimate the scope of the abuse that occurs. To see why, the survey results must be interpreted in light of the Episcopal Church’s larger culture of inaction around sexual violence. See no evil, hear no evil… LGBTQ+…
Read More…plugged-in lifestyle doesn’t really get at the heart of the issue. I think the Amish, of all people, have it right. It’s not so much about what you as an individual are doing or not doing, as the effect technology has on the community: Why not make life easier and just put [a phone] in the house? “What would that lead to?” another Amish man asked me. “We don’t want to be the kind of people who will interrupt a conversation at home to answer a tel…
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…1946. By 2013, Chick-fil-A had 1,800 locations across the U.S. and annual sales of $5 million. The company gave away $68 million over the years and was celebrated by the religious right. “The Bible tells a lot about how to run a business if we just read it and apply it,”Cathy said. He died at 94. David Eugene Sorenson An elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, David E. Sorenson was executive director of temple building at a time…
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…ualism is bad. Also, he notes but offers no explanation for the decreasing number of marriages in many countries. I am glad to see that in Section 34 he understands this basic fact of contemporary western culture: The ideal of marriage, marked by a commitment to exclusivity and stability, is swept aside whenever it proves inconvenient or tiresome. The fear of loneliness and the desire for stability and fidelity exist side by side with a growing fe…
Read More…receive a skin of blackness, and become a scourge to the Nephites.” * New online version: “Because of their unbelief, the Lamanites are cut off from the presence of the Lord, are cursed, and become a scourge unto the Nephites.” A second changed chapter heading appears in Mormon, chapter 5: * Old version: “The Lamanites shall be a dark, filthy, and loathsome people. . .” * New online version: “Because of their unbelief, the Lamanites will be scatt…
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…us by someone who’s trying to sell our books. “That said, Lifeway’s a huge sales channel for Christian books, so they do carry a lot of weight.” A statement from Meisenheimer’s former publishing house seems to reflect that industry weight. “Zondervan and Lifeway sales representatives communicate regularly with any questions and concerns to ensure the consumers are provided with the most relevant, high quality, high value Christian products,” a spo…
Read More…ing will begin: Did the nomination of the Alaska governor help or hurt the ticket? Did playing solely to the base—religious conservatives in particular—limited the ticket’s appeal? Does the Party have to become more mainstream, more inclusive, and more tolerant? Is Palin to be the Party’s savior? Or, have the American people learned more than enough about some of the less-than-ethical ways she goes about her business? Everyone will have an opinion…
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…and “to get people ready.” But this twin mission runs into a problem—and a sales opportunity—because “there’s only four companies that make twenty-year shelf life food.” Of these four, only two pass Bakker’s supposed quality requirements. Bakker’s show is dedicated to making sure you have plenty of opportunities to buy these top-grade survival rations. The up-front costs are high. For example, the Time of Trouble Tasty Food Offer, which can appare…
Read More…nts than their quota allows. Most Muslim countries have a quota; a limited number of hajjis permitted from that country in any one year. This number is set by hajj authorities in Saudi Arabia, because, in all fairness, there has to be a cap on how many Muslims converge on the place. Right now, it stands at around 3 million! Countries with large populations of Muslims have many more applicants than their allotted number of pilgrims. This means you…
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