Cinema and the Re-Creation of the World
RD columnist S. Brent Plate crosses disciplinary boundaries to show us how film creates worlds, just as religion does; through incantation or special effects anything is possible.
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Thinking About God Makes Your Brain Bigger
A new book argues that spiritual practices, be they secular or religious, are inherently good for you. Meditation and prayer—be it about God, or evolution, or peace, or the Big Bang—will actually change your brain.
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Prison Religion: Rehabilitation or Forced Conversion?
Prison and evangelical religion have been linked throughout US history; but when a faith-based rehabilitation program compels prisoners to memorize Bible verses, boundaries get blurred.
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RD10Q: Aimee Semple McPherson, Evangelical Maverick
Sister Aimee was an early 20th century icon and a crucial figure in modern American evangelicalism. In his new book, Matthew Sutton explains why.
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Heaven: Our Enduring Fascination with the Afterlife
Where contemporary culture has come to think of heaven as a place to chat, catch up with friends, and eat ice cream, conservative believers are concerned that God has been left out of the picture. A new book by Newsweek’s religion editor, Lisa Miller, covers this and other top stories on the celestial beat.
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Morality is Not Necessarily Good
Ten questions for philosopher Hans-Georg Moeller whose new book explains how the language of morality, or of ethical purity, distorts our ability to tackle the toughest social and political problems.
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Revisiting Hagar, The Woman Who Named God
An interview with the author of a new book that takes a critical look at the biblical tale of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar and sons, claiming that this story at the core of anxiety between religions isn’t exactly as it seems.
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The Plot to End the World
Writer Michael Baigent talks about his latest book, Racing Toward Armageddon.
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City of God: Christian Citizenship in Postwar Guatemala City
In his new book, Kevin O’Neill describes the ways in which Christianity and citizenship, generally considered to be distinct, are melding in Guatemala.
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Monks With Guns: Discovering Buddhist Violence
The co-editor of a new book on the history of Buddhist violence and warfare explains how the notion of a purely mystical and otherworldly Buddhism—promoted by some of the great interpreters of the tradition—denies its adherents’ humanity.
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