“We need to deal with the unconscious beliefs that we have about each other,” says Lisa Sharon Harper, author of The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong Can be Made Right. “We can’t restructure our society and actually begin to heal what race broke until we understand how our society structures have created biases in our own minds.” More →

July 15, 2016

“We had the exact same training – two nights a week, one weekend a month, summer internships. I wrote every paper he wrote,” says Maureen Garvey, who along with her husband took classes to prepare for the diaconate. “The only thing that was different was the day of ordination, I had tears in my eyes when all the guys were called up and they left their wives there sitting in the pews.” More →

July 15, 2016

“What we were looking for is an organ that sings, an organ that has a warm, mellow sound that accompanies singing,” says Rev. William Bradley Roberts, professor of church music and director of chapel music at Virginia Theological Seminary. More →

July 13, 2016

As it wrapped up its current term this week, the US Supreme Court handed down a number of decisions important to religious communities on issues including immigration, abortion, and affirmative action. More →

July 1, 2016

“This is nearly 10 years after the tragedy,” says Terri Roberts, the mother of Charlie Roberts, who murdered five Amish school girls in 2006, “and here I am. I’m alive and I am able to move forward because of the response of the Amish, because of forgiveness. I believe that so much light has been brought into such a dark place.”
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July 1, 2016

Imam Johari Abdul-Malik of the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia describes the rituals and spiritual significance of Eid al-Fitr, the three-day festival marking the end of the month-long Ramadan fast. More →

July 1, 2016

While the presumptive Republican nominee for president told evangelicals he is “a tremendous believer,” interfaith protests, vigils, and press conferences questioned the candidate’s religious claims and assertions. More →

June 24, 2016

“The idea of caring for those who are in need we consider to be a scriptural mandate,” says Steve Peterson, managing director of the Mormon Church’s welfare system. “And that’s grown into a wonderful program worldwide that focuses on caring for those in need, to relieve suffering, and to foster self-reliance and give opportunities for service both for those that receive things and for those that are helping out.” More →

June 24, 2016

“I was looking for a place where I could practice empathy,” says Randall Smith. “I’m looking for a place to practice tolerance. I’m looking for a place to practice compassion, love, truth. What I found in the Friends community is a place to do that that is safe, that is a very large tent. The great part of that is I ended up joining the most unorganized organized religion I could find.” More →

June 24, 2016

Some mosques use the month of Ramadan as an opportunity to educate friends and neighbors about Islam. The Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia encourages members of its congregation to bring non-Muslim friends to their iftar dinners, the meal that breaks the fast during Ramadan. Imam Johari Abdul-Malik describes how the program ties the community together. More →

June 24, 2016