What is your favorite verse of holy scripture and why?

Leviticus 3:16: “All fat is the Lord’s.” Because, from God’s perspective, that just means there’s more to love.

What accounts for our such low and declining confidence in ‘the church or organized religion’? Interpreting survey data is always tricky. In this instance, not only has confidence in the church declined, but confidence in virtually every other “institution” as well has declined–public schools, banks, television news and newspapers, government,…[Read more]

Should grieving be considered a psychiatric disorder? How do you define grief? How do you counsel or minister to those who are grieving? Can/should grief be medicated? I’m not a psychiatrist, but no, I don’t think grieving should be considered a psychiatric disorder. Some things in life—such as the death of a loved one—are, by any [...]

Which translation of the Bible do you use and why? Why King James? Why not King James? How do you decide which translation/version of the Bible or other holy scriptures to use? Every translation of the Bible has its strengths and its weaknesses. The King James Version is no exception. No other translation can match the [...]

Next month, Mississippi voters will be asked to redefine the word “person” in the state constitution as including “every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof.” Supporters say this new “personhood” language defends the constitutional right to life for all persons, including a baby in the womb.…[Read more]

Sunday marks the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. How has America changed since then? How did 9/11 change faith in America? What impact did 9/11 have on the soul of America? Two things have changed since September 11, 2001. One is the return of religion to the public square. A decade or so ago, there [...]

Should the public school systems in Shelby County allow students who are home-schooled to participate in their sports programs? Many parents home-school their children for faith-based reasons. Many parents, some deeply religious and some completely non-religious, home-school their children for purely academic reasons. Still others send their…[Read more]

How should people of faith respond to Osama bin Laden’s death? How should people of faith respond to Osama bin Laden’s death? For many who espouse a version of Islam that is similar or sympathetic to Osama bin Laden’s, his death is a cause for mourning or anger. We don’t have to make guesses on this [...]

How can we live responsibly as devout and faithful adherents of one religion in a world (or community) of many religions? First, the easy part: Terry Jones, the infamous pastor who has grabbed headlines by burning the Qur’an, is a little bit nuts. I share the disgust most Americans feel towards Jones. Most Americans likewise find [...]

Should the Bible be taught in our public schools? Should our schools also teach students about the Quran, the Book of Mormon, the Vedas and other sacred texts? When it comes to teaching public school students about religion, what is appropriate and what is not? Before considering whether it is appropriate to teach courses on the [...]