Topping my list was the Collected Sermons of William Sloane Coffin: The Riverside Years, now published in a two-volume set by Westminster John Knox Press. The writings of this preacher and social activist belong in the study of anyone who takes the Christian faith seriously. more

Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally at the National Mall in our nation’s capitol has come and gone. Presumably both the litter and the loiterers have been removed. Now the event lives on only in the memory of those who experienced it or saw it on television, and in the articles and columns and blogs finding their way onto the Internet. This blog isn’t one of them, but it does grow out of a prominent theme at Beck’s rally: God and America! more

The seasons of political elections come and go, each characterized not only by a set of particular issues but a peculiar tone to the public discussions and debates. Invariably the constellation of issues and challenges facing the country and its political leadership is anchored in but a handful of extra-ordinary issues, those that seem to evoke heightened interest and inspire civic participation, but may or may not actually point our way forward as a nation. more

In terms of the current immigration debate, what do we Christians do—well, I guess, it applies to Jews too—with the fact that the model of our faith was an immigrant, and an undocumented one at that? According to the Christian scriptures, we live with it. more

Before September 11, 2001, most Americans didn’t know what to think of Muslims, if they thought about them at all. Seemingly isolated terrorist acts occurred in various parts of the world, linked to Muslims who were militant and violent in their activism against Western cultural and political institutions and symbols. The U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya were bombed in 1998 and the U.S.S. Cole in 2000. But for the most part, Americans were woefully ignorant of the religion of Islam. Then came 9/11. more

Ultimately, it is inexpedient to faith and injurious to religion for one to claim to know the will or plan of God in partisan politics. As it always seems to turn out, it’s not all that good for politics either. more

I understand that slightly more than half of the members of the U.S. Supreme Court believe that the Second Amendment right to own a firearm in this country is inviolable. They have now made that clear in their 5–4 decision on McDonald v. City of Chicago, striking down Chicago’s 30-year old handgun ban and extending to all the states the protections of the amendment. Okay, I get that. more

God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, by Christopher Hitchens. I am really disappointed with this book. Christopher Hitchens, the irrepressible, irreverent, irascible, and irreligious journalist has emerged as one of the “new atheists,” and I had supposed that I would find reasoned arguments in this book. Not so. more

One could get the impression from the opening lines of the story about Jesus eating with and at the home of the Pharisee named Simon (Luke 7: 36 – 50) that this was going to be just a pleasant dinner party, a break from the sparring that kept the Pharisees and Jesus apart yet persistently and contentiously together. . .It took an uninvited guest to disrupt the spirit of good will that had, up to this point, characterized the evening. more

The 2010 legislative session in Springfield has ended – with mixed results. We achieved some important legislative victories, but our celebration is muted by the irresponsible 2011 budget that calls for additional cuts, more borrowing, and further delays in bill payments. more