The celebration of Good Friday is ancient, dating at least to the 4th century. But why is it called a "good" day?

You cannot imagine -- or, maybe you can -- how many religious people, mostly religious leaders, say to me, "I agree with much of what you say... much ...

I need to believe that God will in fact preserve a refuge for those who live under His mercy by keeping out those who aren't. Yes, I'm talking about heaven and hell.

  Having elevated the Bible -- or at least the nicer bits that they like -- to the status of a magic book  evangelicals  have demoted God. The...

In spite of our long history and tradition of tolerance, I am finding myself increasingly intolerant -- specifically, of the theology and practice of many evangelical Christians. But I say this with some real sorrow, and some measure of guilt.

Through much of my adult life, I tried so hard to please. Then, one day, I realized no one was watching. Correction! I realized I was no longer watching.

Why did Jesus have to die? Was it to appease a wrathful God's demand for punishment? Does that mean Jesus died to save us from God? How could someone ever truly love or trust a God like that?

've come to believe that the differences among American Christians can be boiled down to one fundamental theological difference: hell. The belief in hell on earth (or not) is especially evident in the platforms of politicians who reference faith among their significant influences.

The power of a divine person is infinite and cannot be limited to anything created. Could the Word of God could be incarnate in creatures other than Jesus of Nazareth?

Dear Pastor Paul, When I was eight I was taught two things in the same week. The first was that accepting Jesus was the only path to heaven; and the second was that there were a billion people in China who had never heard the name Jesus.

What if we don't each possess "a soul"? What if there is some greater Collective Soul in which we get to take part, but which we never own, so to speak?

It is more than keeping their memory alive or remembering their birthdays... as important as these practices are; it is about sustaining the ideals, values and passions that they cared about so deeply.

Between 2,000 years of theologians and seven volumes of J.K. Rowling's nuanced prose, there is more than enough fodder for discussion. Consider, for instance, whether there's a God-figure in the series.

DURHAM, N.C. -- When Chad Holtz lost his old belief in hell, he also lost his job. The pastor of a rural United Methodist church in North Carolina wr...

As president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, I am fascinated and encouraged by the current public discourse around Rob Bell and the concept of universalism.

How loud does the pain have to shout at us, in our back-lit comfort and heat pump luxury? While we indulge our wanting, the bulk of the globe cries out in misery or hunger.

When I was a kid I knew The World was going to Hell in a hand basket. I didn't know what that phrase meant, still don't really, but I knew that it was one of the only times I could get away with saying hell.