Madonna's Crucifixion
In the pop singer's "Confessions on a Dance Floor" tour she poses on a giant cross, wearing a crown of thorns, against a backdrop of projected images showing children from Africa who are victims of AIDS and other calamities. Religious leaders around the world have risen up to condemn this, calling it "heresy" and "blasphemy." I find her message inspirational. Here's why.
Pat Robertson's Evolution He
may not believe in evolution, but his own words are powerful evidence of it.
The Tax Collectors Are Coming
The IRS has now unleashed a group of debt collection agencies to go after citizens it believes owe back taxes. Why is a faith based administration willing to utilize a mercenary army of private debt collectors, especially in light of what the Bible has to say about "tax collectors and sinners?"
The Bible and Politics
What is the relationship, if any, betwen the Bible and politics. The answers might surprise some Christians.
God4Sale Now
that the Internet has become a marketplace as much as a medium of communication,
there's a gold rush in progress, as people try to cash in. Much of the selling
is being done in the name and under the banner of Jesus Christ. Our Money Changer
of the Week Award goes to ...
Christianity and Ecology
Liberals
and evangelicals, Protestants and Catholics ... Christians of all kinds are uniting
in the realization that preserving and protecting the environment is a moral,
ethical and religious imperative.
Helping
the New York Times Find Some Smart Christians In a recent New York
times op-ed piece, Nicholas Kristof argues that "the great intellectual traditions
of Catholic and Protestant churches alike are withering." While he insists
that he does not intend to denigrate anyone's faith, he clearly implies that the
forms of Christianity on the rise today are intellectually shallow, if not outright
dumb.
A New Inquisition? It's Neither Welcome
Nor Needed A Protestant's response to the Vatican plan for a "visitation"
of all Roman Catholic seminaries in the US. The working document, "Instrumentum
Laboris," including questions to be asked of all administrators, teachers
and students at the seminaries is disturbing. If the Devil were to invent a plan
for the continuing decline and ultimate death of the Church of Jesus Christ, he
could not do better than this.
No
Religion Too? Increasingly, people are drawn to John Lennon's view
that the world would be better off without organized religion. We take a closer
look at both sides of this question.
Are Americans
Stingy? While hurricane Katrina has focused attention on the persistence
of poverty within the US, the question raised in the context of the tsunami disaster
persists. Is the US, as some have said, "the most generous nation on earth?"
Or as others alleged, is the US among the most "stingy?" The answer
is hard to come by.
Religion and Science
God
and Science The online edition of Charles Henderson's book on the relationship
between religion and science Intelligent
Design vs Evolution: A False Dichotomy Apparently the long standing
controversy over "creation science" has been upstaged by the newer confrontation
between advocates of "intelligent design" and evolution. President Bush brought
the authority of his office to bear upon the topic with his recent comment that
"intelligent design" should be taught "alongside" evolution
in public schools. "Both sides ought to be properly taught . . . so people
can understand what the debate is about," said the President. Those who frame
the conversation between science and religion as a debate or confrontation, have
it wrong. And the mistake can be costly to both science and religion. Here's why.
Stem
Cell Research: Are We Messing With Powers and Prerogatives of God? The
South Korean researcher who won world acclaim as the first scientist to clone
a human embryo and extract stem cells recently resigned as director of a new research
center, citing the ethical problems associated with his work. Some of the same
issues were cited by President Bush in 2001 when he limited federal funding for
such research. We look at the issues involved in the ongoing debate.Background:
When Does Life Begin?
Galileo's
Pals Ever wonder how it happens that a man condemned by the Catholic
Inquisition ends up having a monument raised in his honor in one of Italy's most
important cathedrals? In the story of Galileo's heresy trial, there are important
lessons for today concerning the relationship between science and faith.
A
Christian Case For Evolution As in the case of trying to prevent
students from seeing some movies, television shows, or websites, there is nothing
more likely to inspire interest in evolution than suggesting it is a dangerous,
tempting and forbidden topic � on a par, for example, with sex. But more important,
Christians should be encouraging the study of science in general, and evolutionary
biology in particular. Far from presenting a threat to faith, science can reinforce
and strengthen it. Here's why.
When
Does Life Begin? Is there a biblical view of
when life begins? There certainly is, and the answer might surprise you.
God
and the Hurricanes Does God control the path of hurricanes as they
move up East Coast of the US each fall? As one tracks a major storm, especially
as it draws near to one's own home, the question arises with greater intensity.
So how about it?
William James: The Varieties of
Religious Experience This classic by the psychologist/philosopher Willam
James was written early in the 20th Century but the issues it raises remain relevant
one hundred years later. Here you'll find the full text of this fascinating book. Church
and State
Abraham Lincoln's God
At a time when politicians tend to invoke the name of God for partisan political purposes, or to "explain" various tragedies like hurricane Katrina by blaming both God and the victims, Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address offers a refreshing alternative.
The Ten Commandments: Too
Hot For School House Walls
The Commandments belong in school, but not
as dead symbols nailed to a wall. The Ten Commandments, like lots of other texts
that play a central role in the formation of our culture, belong in the curriculum,
where they can be critically studied and appreciated for what they are, not what
some imagine them to be.
The Golden Rule: A
Creative Alternative Once again the Supreme Court, the public and the
press are enthralled in debate over public display of the Ten Commandments. But
why continue arguing about the Ten Commandments, when there is a better alternative.
A
Wall That Should Not Fall When running for President in 2000, George
Bush said the the problem with Washington was too much "bitterness and bickering."
He offered a faith-based "compassionate conservatism" as the solution.
Now, well into Bush's second term, we find the country more divided than ever.
One reason for this, I believe, is that a faith based politics has intensified
our differences. We now have ample, recent evidence that tearing down the wall
of separation between church and state, between politics and organized religion
in not the way to go.
Who
Is Jesus Christ? Son of God? Messiah? Prophet? Teacher? What?
Calling
Jesus the "Son of God" is understood to be the distinguishing affirmation
of the Christian faith. Yet within the wider family of faith there is a range
of opinion about what this title actually means. There is sharp disagreement over
the identity of Jesus. In search of the answers, I take a closer look at the
most widely used title, Son of God.
Peace and War
Muslim
Extremism Not The Cause of Suicide Terrorism Recently, our television
screens have been filled with images of bloodshed, destruction and death in places
like Jerusalem, Baghdad and London. In these news reports, the very image of the
"suicide bomber" has been wedded to phrases like "Muslim extremism,"
or "Islamic Holy War." In a remarkable new book, Robert Pape of the
University of Chicago argues that there is little connection between suicide terrorism
and Islamic fundamentalism or extremism. This is a must read.
The
Meaning of Forgiveness in a World of War Though it is central
and essential in the life and teaching of Jesus, forgiveness remains a difficult
concept, especially in a world of conflict and war. If it is difficult to forgive
one who has caused you deep personal harm, how much more difficult is it for an
entire nation to forgive its enemies?
Interfaith
Dialogue and Cooperation It is not longer an
option for Christians and others to engage in constructive conversation and cooperation
with the religious other; it is a matter of survival.
Gender and Sex
A
Sacramental View of Sex The real problem arises, according to
Jesus, when self appointed guardians of goodness and truth define sex as evil
and thus make sinners of us all.
Homosexuality
and the Bible More than ten years after their historic encounter,
the issues raised by Walter Wink and Ulrich Mauser on these pages continue to
preoccupy religious communities and denominations around the world.
When
Does Life Begin? Is there a biblical view of
when life begins? There certainly is, and the answer might surprise you.
Britney
Spears Mixes Sex and Spirit Like her mentor and sometime idol,
Madonna, Britney Spears has risen to stardom on a not too subtle appeal to two
characteristics that some people think of as opposites: sexuality and spirituality.
Read more
The Internet
As A Metaphor For God A few years ago, I began thinking that
the world wide web is a kind of metaphor for the divine, connecting, as it does,
so many diverse and different things together. Hence the new title for this homepage,
GodWeb. God is not only on the web, God is The Web.
Left Behind:
Bad Fiction, Bad Faith Given the popularity and persistence of "biblical
prophecy" thinking that packages paranoia as faith and sees in first century
sacred texts accurate predictions of 21st century catastrophe, let's take a closer
look at the series of best-selling books that has fed the fantasies: the "Left
Behind" novels of Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.
Going
to Hell In a Handbasket It is a colorful phrase. For large numbers
of people, it accurately and powerfully depicts where we are headed as a nation.
It is a staple among those who believe that the world as we know it is coming
to an end soon. Many seem to find in this cliché a fulfillment of biblical
prophecy. But where did this vivid phrase come from, what does it actually mean,
and does it paint an accurate picture of what is happening in to us as a people?
What
Would Jesus Eat? Does Christian Weight Loss Work?
The stock market may have its ups and downs,
but the Christian weight loss industry appears to be enjoying a bull market uninterrupted
since the 1950's. Books like "What Would Jesus Eat?" and "Body By God" are just
part of an emerging sub-culture of workshops, support groups, e-courses, and church
based weight loss programs that seem to be sprouting up everywhere.
The Spirit Diet
A spiritual plan to a longer, more fulfilling life ... and one that may involve weight loss as well.
If you want to talk with someone in person, please feel free to call 917-439-2305
The Rev. Charles P. Henderson is a Presbyterian minister and is the author of God and Science (John Knox Press, 1986).
A revised and expanded version of the book is appearing here. God and Science (Hypertext Edition,
2015).
He is also editor of a new book, featuring articles by world class scientists and theologians, and illustrating the leading views on the relationship between science and religion: Faith, Science and the Future (CrossCurrents Press, 2017).
Charles also tracks the boundry between the virtual and the real at his blog: Next World Design, focusing on the mediation of art, science and spirituality in the metaverse.
