Paul Brandeis Raushenbush

President Obama's declaration of support for marriage equality has created an uproar in Christian communities across America, and nowhere more poignantly than in the Black Church where the President is largely admired, but which has traditionally been more socially conservative on issues of sexuality.

Many African American...

Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) is one of the last living leader of the civil rights movement. As the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee he was a key player in the struggle to end segregation, and a confidant of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He is the...

There is a right and wrong side of history in the struggle for full and absolute equality for LGBT people.

All signs indicate that America is in the last decades of the misguided and hurtful effort to treat lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people as second class citizens. And,...

"Oh Paul, why don't you just convert to Judaism?"

This invitation was extended to me after a book talk in Washington D.C. and I have to admit it took me by surprise. First, I had always heard that Jews aren't supposed to proselytize. Second, I'm not just a blank slate;...

Ask Pastor Paul: Spiritual Advice for the Real World.

Have a spiritual question, ethical dilemma or religious curiosity? Don't be shy! People of all backgrounds, ages and creeds are encouraged to submit questions to askpastorpaul@huffingtonpost.com.

Dear Pastor Paul,

Ask Pastor Paul: Spiritual Advice for the Real World.

Have a spiritual question, ethical dilemma or religious curiosity? Don't be shy! People of all backgrounds, ages and creeds are encouraged to submit questions to askpastorpaul@huffingtonpost.com.

Dear Readers, I have received many inquiries from LGBT identified people who...

Sen. Rick Santorum has made a serious mistake.

On Saturday, the presidential hopeful was addressing a group in Ohio when he made the unfortunate assertion that Obama's agenda is:

not about you. It's not about your quality of life. It's not about your jobs. It's about...

Ask Pastor Paul Paul: Spiritual Advice for the Real World.

Have a spiritual question, ethical dilemma or religious curiosity? Don't be shy! People of all backgrounds, ages and creeds are encouraged to submit questions to askpastorpaul@huffingtonpost.com.

Dear Pastor Paul,
Is there such a thing as karma?...

Ask Pastor Paul Paul: Spiritual Advice for the Real World.

Have a spiritual question, ethical dilemma or religious curiosity? Don't be shy! People of all backgrounds, ages and creeds are encouraged to submit questions to askpastorpaul@huffingtonpost.com.

Dear Pastor Paul,

Ask Pastor Paul Paul: Spiritual Advice for the Real World.

Have a spiritual question, ethical dilemma or religious curiosity? Don't be shy! People of all backgrounds, ages and creeds are encouraged to submit questions to askpastorpaul@huffingtonpost.com.

Dear Pastor Paul,

Whatever our religious or spiritual background, we are all seeking to live this life with as much grace, purpose and integrity as we can muster. The real world often confronts us with religious, spiritual and ethical questions that we feel ill-equipped to answer. But don't worry, help has arrived! Ask...

Jimmy Carter is the 39th president of the United States, founder of the Carter Center and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He has authored many books, the most recent being "Through the Year with Jimmy Carter: 366 Daily Meditations from the 39th President." In this...

Click To See A Slideshow Of The Simple Way Community And The School For Conversion

"I often say I was drafted by injustice," explains Shane Claiborne, one of the founders of The Simple Way, a Christian community located in North Philadelphia. Tall, thin, with...

What happens to an atheist when he dies?

No one can answer that question with certainty, as any response requires the kind of faith emphatically rejected by Christopher Hitchens, who has died at the age of 62. However, we can and should reflect on how this extraordinary author, intellectual and...

In the final days of 2011 we pause to reflect on the year that has past -- the good, the bad and the ugly. Here are the HuffPost Religion Top Stories of 2011.

The Muslim Spring
It started with a simple vegetable seller in Tunisia who, humiliated by...

Laura Dern is one of the most respected and versatile film actresses in America. Her roles have included portrayals of "the every woman" to "the woman on the very edge." In her new character, Dern portrays an every woman named Amy who, very publicly, swerves all the way off the...

As we learn about the man who shot bullets into the living quarters of the White House, an unnerving fact has emerged: The shooter believed that he was on a personal mission from God and that President Obama is the anti-Christ.

The attack on the White House...

Michigan's recent anti-bullying bill debate has moved one step forward and two steps back for actual protection against bullying in the state's schools. The anti-bullying bill, is named "Matt's Safe School Law" for Matt Epling of East Lansing, Michigan who committed suicide after being bullied. Like all anti-bullying...

Few religious leaders have such a universal appeal and global authority as Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Rabbi Sacks has been Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth since September 1991, was knighted by the Queen in 2005 and made a Life Peer, taking his seat in the...

What does Occupy Wall Street want? This has been the continual question from the media, and the critique from skeptics. The question "what do they want?" has been used to dismiss the nascent Occupy Wall Street movement as ineffectual, aimless, or worse, a self indulgent spectacle.

Still, the question...