Even when produced with the most meticulous scholarship, our dictionaries ought to remind us that words exceed our best efforts at definition and classification.
Diarmid MacCulloch wants us to understand the religious beliefs of centuries ago in their own terms, however strange they may seem to modern secular sensibilities.
The place of the term "revelation" in the church needs to be debated. The church cannot eliminate either “revelation” or “word” as metaphors for divine activity.
Mass facing the people has a profound beauty. A view of the priest’s back and elbows isn’t naturally or inevitably going to make anyone think of the Second Coming.
In 'The Practice of Catholic Theology,' Paul J. Griffiths writes about what it takes to be a Catholic theologian. More notable is what it doesn't take.
Trump may be what sixteenth-century Catholic theologians were worried about, but Luther wouldn’t have recognized him as a Christian any more than the pope would.
By signing one sentence asking for an exemption, the Little Sisters are not formally cooperating. They are materially cooperating only in a minor and remote sense.
Pope Benedict XVI resigned over three years ago; Francis is undeniably the only pope.Yet in some ways the transition is ongoing and continues to affect the Church.
Online media in the wake of tragedy could be doing something good. It may be a modern means of activating an ancient genre: a particular subset of human sorrow.
Church teaching about the use of force is paradoxical. “Just peace”—not just war—should be the distinguishing mark and calling of the global Catholic Church.
The tensions within Orthodoxy are partly theological. But there is also a more worldly clash of interests, including the rivalry between Constantinople and Moscow.
The most debilitating conceptual limitation in Whitmarsh’s story is an unawareness of what “theism” is—or, how “classical theism" differs from polytheistic myth.
Early stories of Jews, Christians, and Muslims; the politics of celibacy and marriage; reflections from Cardinal Kasper; afterlife and wealth in early Christianity.
In his examination of imaginative pictures of the afterlife and the ways in which Christians disposed of their wealth, Brown traces two distinct lines of development
From the Cardinal called a "clever theologian" by Pope Francis, this volume of Walter Kasper's writings characterize the nature of religious belief in late modernity
Gregg looks at five of the two dozen stories with characters shared by the Jewish Bible, New Testament, and Qur’an, interpreting how they are told in each tradition.
As a student of Reinhold Niebuhr, President Obama has sought out occasions on which he could preach about the ironies and uncertainties of human action.
"Deeply Christian, she has no desire to impose her religion on others, but only to work together to make her country better. Her open, humble practice stays with me"
Cardinals grapple with Francis's unclear "but-also" logic; Bishops hesitate to implement changes pope called for three years ago; What will happen to Vatican Radio?
Patrick Jordan brings an ease to his subject that comes from true friendship; he weaves together his living sense of Day’s personality with major themes in her work.
Francis holds first private talks at Vatican with Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb; Former aide to Bishop-emeritus of Rome claims Ratizinger never really resigned as pope
A historical, unprecedented “Holy and Great Council” to be held in June may have important consequences for the Orthodox Church and its relations with Rome.
When Pope Francis issued a formal “bull” instituting the current Year of Mercy, he included in its appendix a lengthy informal interview with an Italian journalist.
The truth (and history) behind the pope's comments on a commission to "clarify" the role of women deacons; Italian bishops react to Italy legalizing same-sex unions.
Soccer fanatics live by a different cycle—and, perhaps, a different creed. Where baseball’s characteristic transcendental is the truth, soccer’s is the beautiful.
Cathleen Kaveny raises concerns about divisive behavior in religious discourse and critiques efforts by scholars to explain the resulting polarization.
