Pope Francis went farther than just acknowledging that atheists aren't going to be tortured for all eternity. He also said that if we live virtuous lives, we will be "redeemed" by Jesus just like Christians. That last part goes a little too far for me.

Nothing can mitigate the profound sadness of the deaths of dozens of people. But the families of all the victims would be right in wishing that there had been a few more miracles to go around.

I have to let the loudness of God take me away to wherever I need to be. I'll still go to seven different churches and read through the piles of religious of books I've hoarded in my room, but they can't tell me anything compared to what God can tell me.

Many choose to view God as distant. Observable. Manageable. Close enough to consider. Distant enough to never impose nor interfere. From a distance, no wonder is ever too wonderful, no power too powerful, no master ever too masterful.

We all have secret pain. We all have brokenness. We all have wounds that do not fully heal despite all the salve we put on them. The truth is that no matter our circumstances in life, there is still heartache and pain.

With a myriad of voices competing for the decisions we make each day, how do we distinguish God's voice from all the others? Throughout my life I've asked four questions that have helped me to discern. I believe they must be asked in tandem, though, never one without the others.

Stanley Hauerwas reluctantly defines Christianity and talks about the signs of a baptized life and identity.

The children's classic "The Runaway Bunny" might seem an odd place to begin a theological reflection. But for a child who has ever tested the strength of a parent's love, this story offers both reassurance and challenge.

Olympic Stadium, London, August 4, 2012. Minutes before the race of my life, the finals of the men's 10,000 meters. I wasn't running. I was a spectator. Below, taking their places, were two runners I'd spent years coaching. I couldn't help but marvel at the peace I felt inside.

The world is full of heartache, sorrow, disasters, anxiety, tragedies in-the-making, bad news both big and small. I'm just as happy as anyone to log on to one news site after another, but if it starts pulling me down, if it makes me angry, I do just what Dad did: give it back to God.

Big topic. All encompassing. From Ra to Zeus to Moses to Jesus to Muhammad to Buddah. From Cotton Mather to Rush Limbaugh. From the Crusades to Shiites and Sunnis. Well, leave me out.

Sure, you can "know" God, as the inner, inexplicable and transformative personal experience. But do not ever, my friend, do not ever be so arrogant as to assume you actually "know" God, in terms of explaining God or understanding God.

I still remember how startled I was when a young woman I was interviewing told me God had spoken to her, audibly. I was doing ethnographic field wo...

The energy and ardor we see flung with feverish force at the sight of certain key words would be far more beneficial if harnessed and used to rid the world of its eternal anger and insults.

If God is so Great, why can't He just create a world without any pain whatsoever? I don't want people to stop talking to God. I'm not even angry at God for something terrible like cancer. I just want people to think.

Dawkins' views on religion are by now extremely well-known, to the point of cultural saturation thanks to the media's fixation with him. But the dogmatic assertions and withering dismissals that made Dawkins a media-darling lend themselves particularly well to the anarchic medium of Twitter, where his unjustifiable claims can shrug off any residual requirement for justification.

We seek to make meaning even in the most senseless tragedies. Sometimes this raises deep spiritual questions as we confront the paradox of God's goodness and omnipotence.

The idea of a Protestant or Puritan work ethic has worked its way into national lore. But in looking at the religious engines of economic growth, new research indicates it may be just as helpful to talk about an Islamic ethic or a Jewish ethic or a Buddhist ethic.

Some people do not believe in God at all, while others believe in many gods. Others believe that God infinitely shapes their lives and their afterlives. Others look to themselves to be shaped. There are a variety of different religions, and as many as 22 major religions in the world today.

The Bible says God gives good things to those who ask. God cannot give me a bad gift. He loves me too much. So what was the gift in losing my best friend and mother to cancer?

If you're angry at God, say something. Say anything. Don't hold it in. It's not going to do any favors for your prayer life.

When we make the decision as adults to be baptized in water, it is then we fully commit to let go of our old life. It is then we allow ourselves to begin healing. We are proclaiming that we trust in God to wash away those things that bind us to our past.

In moments of prayerful reflection, I have come to understand that my whole life has been leading to this: From reporting other people's biographies for A&E, to confessing my own in a new book. From broadcasting the news to broadcasting the The Good News.

My friend was having trouble reconciling the fact that I am both a scientist whom she respects and someone who calls himself a Christian. How do I tell my friend that being a Christian has not always been foundationally defined on belief, but a transformative way of newly living, a faith?