Temptation does not usually come when we are ready for it. It does not come when we are strongest, when we are at our best. It comes when we are weak. It came to Jesus when he was hungry, very hungry. . . .
The March issue of The Atlantic is devoted to the topic “Which Religion Will Win”, with a wide ranging series of articles and comments on religion in America and across the world. It begins with a comment by Walter Russell Mead about the apparant moderation of American evanglicals, in which Mead borrows some analysis from Adam Smith.
Mention globalisation and most people think of goods heading across the world from East to West and dollars moving in the other direction. Yet globalisation works for ideas too. Take Brazil’s Bolsa Família (“Family Fund”) anti-poverty scheme, the largest of its kind in the world. Known in development jargon as a “conditional cash transfer” programme, it was modelled partly on a similar scheme in Mexico. After being tested on a vast scale in several Latin American countries, a refined version was recently implemented in New York City in an attempt to improve opportunities for children from poor families.
In black communities, religious leaders have historically occupied a powerful position as gurus, advocates, stewards and preachers. Whether inspiring their congregations to stand up against social injustice or urging a focus on God-centered family values, black religious leaders are a crucial component of a rich and diverse spiritual landscape. In honor of Black History Month, Beliefnet has compiled a list of some of the nation’s most influential black spiritual leaders in 2008.
There are so many difficulties in life that we seem to be engaged in a daily battle just to keep from going under. We struggle to keep on top of our job, maintain our household, take care of our children, cope with bad health, homework, and money problems.
There are an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants in America, and the New Sanctuary Movement will only ever directly help a handful of them. And given the concerns about church-state separation, it has its problems, even at the level of symbolism.But its practitioners are, at the very least, offering a moral alternative to the often inflammatory rhetoric of the Lou Dobbses of the world.
Tobias Haller offers a skillful dissection of the most recent draft of the Anglican Covenant which prompts two questions: What does the covenant add to the life of the Communion other than a means of expelling members? And, why would parties with no interest in expelling other members consent to the creation of a club that they will never wield, but may well be wielded against them?
Perhaps you were unaware the neurology plays an essential role in congregational development, especially during times to transition. Peter Steinke will explain to you why individuals and communities resist change, no matter how obvious the need for such change might be. And he will make you laugh as he does so.
Café essayist Heidi Shott of the Diocese of Maine wonders whether she has sited the first ever “The Episcopal Church Welcomes You” tattoo.