Ryan J. Bell

As Christians continue to celebrate the Easter season we are reminded of an important biblical story that should serve as a clear warning to Wells Fargo and the nation's other largest banks about the danger of closing its eyes to the pain and suffering they continue to inflict by mass...

On Ash Wednesday Christians from a wide variety of traditions will begin the 40-day season of Lent. It is a time of fasting and repentance; of re-thinking our priorities and commitments. Some Christian leaders in San Francisco - Catholics and Protestants alike - will also be protesting the injustice that...

In his new book, "Simply Jesus," renowned New Testament scholar, N.T. Wright takes dead aim at post-Enlightenment dualism, which keeps religion and public life in their separate spheres. He argues in his latest publication from HarperOne, that the core of Jesus' life and teaching is decidedly political --...

In a place most people associate with relaxation and gorgeous scenery a sizable minority live in constant fear! To be openly gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender in Jamaica is to take your life in your hands. I had no idea about this reality until I spoke to Leslie Foster, independent...

In his latest volume, Yale theologian Miroslav Volf puts his finger on one of the most relevant and hotly contested subjects in our world today -- the role of faith in public life. In particular, he seeks to chart a course between what...

I'll never forget the night I really talked to Matt (not his real name) about his sexuality and what that meant for him. He was the son of one of the prominent couples in my church. Matt had come out to his parents and his church years before. But they...

Great art makes you stop and think and ask questions; the type of questions that keep us human and guard the common good of our society.

That is exactly what happened for me when I visited Christopher Chinn at his one-day installation on skid row in Los Angeles, where I...

"How do you respond when you see this chart?"

That was the question Scott Reed, Executive Director of the PICO National Network, asked a room of about 25 pastors and rabbis who had gathered in Washington, D.C. for the first meeting of the new National Clergy Leadership Council.

Last week I spent three days at a gathering of the leaders of the Religious Peace Fellowships in Stony Point, N.Y. There were representatives from more than a dozen Christian denominations -- from Catholic and Orthodox to Mennonite and Brethren -- as well as Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist peace fellowships....

I was almost knee-to-knee with Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish as we sat in the lobby of his hotel in downtown Los Angeles, talking about his new book, I Shall Not Hate, and the work he is doing to create a lasting...

Today we witnessed another skirmish in the real "War on Christmas". As Christians all over the world celebrate the final weekend of Advent and prepare for Christmas in just one week, the U.S. Senate once more dashed the hopes of almost 2 million children and young adults, many of whom...

A few weeks ago Glenn Beck threw down the gauntlet regarding Christianity and social justice. When news of Beck's incendiary comments broke, my colleagues and I across the religious spectrum couldn't believe what we were hearing. In the weeks that followed everyone was talking about how to respond.

I met...