The religious question is this: What kind of narrative are you in? In one story suspicion, consumerism and the Lone Ranger carry the plot. In the other story hope, right relationship and the beloved community are the important themes. Each promotes a gospel. One religion sees salvation through the love of power. The other religion [...]

We have deadened our hearts as a society by accepting the illusion that it doesn’t require a village to address mental illness, violence and the proliferation of assault weapons, just self-reliant individualism. Ideology and everything detached from the ground of Love hardens the heart. Our hope is in seeing the faces and saying the names [...]

The spirit that beholds in the face of others beyond class, race, affectional orientation and religion the beauty of our common humanity.

In a capitalist and consumer focused economy, greed may overcome the better angels of our nature. Equating the pursuit of happiness with material wealth likewise offers a false path to spiritual prosperity, because there is no limit to what is enough. Half the jobs in the country pay less than $34,000, and a quarter of [...]

If you were addressing the nation on Wednesday, Nov. 7, the DAY AFTER the election, what would you say? What advice would you offer to your fellow Americans about the next four years? After a close and hard fought presidential election the nation need not be divided between the victors and the losers, red states and [...]

How do you define dying well? Dying well involves answering the questions in the Aging with Dignity document Five Wishes in consultation with family, clergy and medical doctor. This allows the individual to articulate his or her values and wishes concerning end-of-life issues, and to legally document a Living Will and Medical Power of Attorney.…[Read more]

What are your views on the fact that Protestants are no longer the majority religion in the U.S.? The shift in Protestant numbers represents a long term trend. In part this represents the growing diversity of our nation, and the fact that we have no state sponsored church. In industrial nations that have a state church, [...]

What is your favorite verse of holy scripture and why? From the Beatitudes found in Matthew 5:4: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” What was Jesus thinking? Perhaps that love and vulnerability are woven together. We cannot have one without the other. So while the deep ache of losing our loved ones [...]

Memphis is the second most generous city in the country, according to a new survey by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. According to the publication: “Religion plays a major role in how much money Americans give to charity. The parts of the country that tend to be more religious are also more generous.” Why is this true? [...]

What should Memphis City Council do? Are sexual orientation and gender identity an employment issue, a civil rights issue or a faith issue? A fault line may run between what is legal and what is moral. That is why civil disobedience is essential to democracy. The perfecting of our union is a history of struggling with [...]

What is your reaction to the Freedom from Religion Foundation suing the Memphis City Council? Truth is known in context, not ideologically. That’s because truth is relational and interested in right relationship. What is the right relationship between prayer and public events? I have given the prayer at Memphis City Council meetings and would do so [...]

Are you concerned about new voter ID laws? Are we doing enough to prevent fraud and other problems? How can we make voting as accessible as possible while still safeguarding the democratic process? There is nothing more sacred than the right to vote in a democracy. One person, one vote, is the principle. Standing against the [...]

This week the Faith in Memphis panel reflects on the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colo. It is only human to want an easy answer to why anyone would want to commit mass murder. How can one explain such deranged behavior? No theory can heal the devastating results in the lives of the people suddenly turned [...]

Who/what is an American? What does America mean to you and your faith? American is what people become, all kinds of people. One can go live in Japan, but one cannot really become Japanese. One can go live in France, but one cannot become French. Yet, anyone can become an American. The distinguishing characteristic of what [...]

Noted scientist and best-selling novelist Alan Lightman, a Memphis native, asks what are the boundaries between science and religion, the two greatest forces that have shaped human civilization. What are the different kinds of knowledge in science and in religion? And how do we come by those different kinds of knowledge? Members of the Faith in [...]

Tell us about The Teacher Who Changed My Life – and why. I cannot imagine my life without the influence of my teachers. My church school teachers taught me that the true power of the church was in loving neighbors across boundaries. My high school English teachers encouraged me to write and nurtured me beyond the [...]

Gov. Haslam is expected this week to sign a new law that would require public schools to allow science teachers to discuss purported weaknesses of theories such as Evolution and Global Warming in their classrooms. What should we do about teaching evolution? Is the theory of evolution a scientific controversy or a social/religious controversy?…[Read more]

It is often said that you “can’t legislate morality.” Are saggy pants a morality issue or something else? The Tennessee General Assembly approved a bill to prohibit public school students from dressing in an “indecent manner,” but the legislation was primarily aimed at young men who wear saggy pants. It is often said that you “can’t [...]

In a recent interview, Rev. Franklin Graham questioned the Christian credentials of President Barack Obama and GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. He apologized Tuesday for questioning President Obama’s faith. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, members of the NAACP’s religious roundtable called on Graham and all Christian leaders to “refrain from using…[Read more]

What concerns you about immigration? What concerns you about the way politicians and legislators are dealing with the issue of immigration? What should we do about illegal immigration? Would you sign the Clergy for Tolerance letter? Political theater during the presidential party nomination process can reach an overly dramatic pitch producing…[Read more]