Author: Jim Naughton

The literally life giving power of stories

In “Storytelling,” a team was looking for a way to provide both information and encouragement for changes in behavior for African Americans with hypertension. African Americans are more likely to have high blood pressure, less likely to get it under control, and more likely to have serious complications. The team thought of storytelling.

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Seeking truth

Whether you seek ultimate truth externally (through the propositions of Scriptures you presume to be inerrant) or internally (through the deep spiritual experiences you presume to be universal), whatever you end up with HAS to be a little wrong

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Ardent attention

We are told that in Egypt there are brothers who offer up frequent prayers, but that these are very short, like arrows loosed off in rapid succession, for fear that the vigilant, alert attention, so necessary for one who prays, should be weakened or blunted if too long an interval is left between them.

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The Belief Instinct

Once we scrub away all the theological bric-a-brac and pluck the exotic cross-cultural plumage of religious beliefs … once we get under God’s skin, isn’t He really just another mind—one with emotions, beliefs, knowledge, understanding, and, perhaps above all else, intentions? Aren’t theologians really just playing the role of God’s translators?

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Catholic theologians advocate major changes

More than 140 Catholic theologians from universities in Austria, Germany and Switzerland have called for the Church to end priestly celibacy, ordain women and allow lay people to help select bishops, among other changes. They said that they could no longer remain silent in the face of what they say is a lingering crisis within the Catholic Church.

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East Carolina asks Executive Council to say no to the Covenant

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that … the Diocese of East Carolina requests that the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church to express our desire that any future Covenant presented to The Episcopal Church represent more truly, and with greater clarity and full recognition of voices of laity and clergy, our Anglican tradition and Christian faith.

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Dementia and the language of the soul

How many years do I have left with a clear mind?—a question I asked myself a few days ago after I had phoned to check how my godmother is doing in her nursing home in Toronto. Her Alzheimer’s has been progressing over 15 years. One of the most poignant losses is the total eclipse of her religious awareness

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