Memorial Day is a day to remember. A solemn holiday, it reminds us of the men and women who have died serving our country. Wreath-laying ceremonies and concerts fill the weekend, along with the placing of 250,000 American flags on the graves of Arlington National...

"We've decided to quit being a welcoming church," writes Lutheran pastor Rob Moss in his Neighborhood Church blog. "No kidding." After sinking time and energy into training greeters and ushers, creating nametags and percolating coffee, they have decided to go in a new direction. Instead of being a Welcoming Church,...

President Obama started his trip to Israel by assuring the Israelis that he is committed to their national security. He promised them that the U.S.-Israeli bond is "eternal," and described Israel as "the historic homeland of the Jewish people."

Obama's focus on this trip was predicted to be a...

Guess who's coming to dinner with President Obama? Congressional Republicans.

On March 6, Obama hosted a dinner party for 11 Republican Senators. Among the invited guests to a meal at the Jefferson Hotel, just a few blocks from the White House: Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, John McCain of Arizona...

Impact Church in Atlanta is a multicultural Methodist congregation led by Olu Brown, a dynamic African-American pastor. Although currently meeting in a middle school, the congregation is building a facility that will have a sanctuary with a unique feature: walls that open to allow worship to move into an open-air...

On Thanksgiving Day, most Americans will gather with family members or friends and share a meal. As many as 24 million people will endure crowded airports and packed planes to participate in this feast, and others will travel to their destinations by trains, buses and cars. Americans have a deep...

Fairfax Presbyterian Church is both a Christian community and Precinct 1 for the City of Fairfax, Va. Those of us in church leadership know that this year's Election Day will be particularly contentious, with Virginia being a battleground state for the presidency as well as the site of a heated...

A cab driver from Ghana took a fare to Montgomery County, Md., and then decided to attend a service at a Baptist church. After he walked in, the congregation phoned the police, describing him as a trespasser. He said, "No, I am a Baptist, from Ghana." They insisted he was...

In a discussion with a number of Pharisees about divorce, Jesus says, "Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate" (Mark 10:9). I bet that Jesus would like the number 36,722.

That number is the grand total of years of marriage accumulated by...

(RNS) When the Summer Olympics opened in London, there was a version of a religious ritual in the Olympic oath, procession of athletes and lighting of the flame. This was no accident because the modern Olympics have religious roots, though they appear to have largely secular fruits.

I'm reminded of...

Religion is a low priority among voters this year, especially when compared with the economy. Neither presidential campaign sees the advantage of a showdown on religion. But still, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney should find a way to run on religion, instead of running away from it.

Both are acting...

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is calling for repeal of contraception coverage mandated by the Department of Health and Human Services. Seeing this as a violation of religious liberty, the bishops have scheduled "A Fortnight for Freedom," June 21 to July 4. They want to focus "all the...

Everyone knows about Easter morning, when a group of women discover the empty tomb. Many people also know the story of Easter afternoon -- the walk to Emmaus in which two disciples encounter a mysterious stranger who reveals himself to be the risen Christ.

But...