In his 1978 parenting book, “The Strong-Willed Child,” James Dobson says disobedient childen, like dogs, must be spanked into submission to parents and God. Read more.
christianity
The Hagia Sophia: Where Christianity and Islam Coexist — and Clash
As an American Christian, I’d never known how it feels to have my faith’s most cherished symbols obliterated by a colonizing force. Until I entered the Hagia Sophia. Read more.
Theologian Harvey Cox: You Don’t Have to Believe to Be a Christian
I’d like to recommend Harvey Cox’s newest book to all my non-believer friends. So many of the sophisticated, highly educated people I know labor under the assumption that they have to believe – to assent intellectually to – the factuality of traditional Christian teaching. They don’t. And here’s why: The idea of a fixed creed to which a true Christian must subscribe dates back, not to the life of Jesus, but to the emperor Constantine. Read more.
John Shelby Spong: Christianity (Some of It) Is Bunk
Former Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong minces no words: It’s time to ditch the two principle beliefs of Western religion. First,
that God is other. And second, that we are alienated from God, guilty as hell, and in dire need of atonement. Read more.
Simone Weil on Prayer — First, Pay Attention. Book Openers
Simone Weil’s life was a short one, but her startling insights into the nature of God and God’s relationship to humanity pertain today. Read more.