March (Web-only) 2014

The Book of Common Prayer Is Still a Big Deal
Alan Jacobs explains why the nearly 500-year-old Anglican prayer book retains its influence, and why it should appeal even to (non-Anglican) evangelicals.

Can Churches Separate Mental Illness and Shame?
Rick Warren confronts one more "last taboo."

When Parenting Gets Lost in the Details
In a wave of books for modern moms, Gloria Furman’s gospel meditations offer a simple goal.
The Quick Take for March 28, 2014
'Noah' is out, movies about brothers, and more in the Quick Take.

Kay Warren: A Year of Grieving Dangerously
One year after the suicide of her son, she shares her story of grief, mystery, and hope.
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Marriage in the Age of 'Conscious Uncoupling'
Five things Gwyneth Paltrow's announcement gets wrong about relationships.

God Used Me to Stop a School Shooter
Antoinette Tuff, the steady voice who famously talked down an armed intruder, speaks out about her faith.

The Genesis of 'Noah'
Darren Aronofsky's blockbuster is hardly the first big-screen adaptation of the story. How does it compare to the others?

World Vision Reverses Decision to Hire Christians in Same-Sex Marriages
(UPDATED) President Richard Stearns: 'Certain beliefs are so core to our Trinitarian faith that we must take a strong stand on those beliefs.'

Freed for Evangelism: The Story of Former Slave Amanda Berry Smith
God uses us even when we lack confidence in our influence.

Muppets Most Wanted
The Muppets have always been about family - and this movie makes it clear what holds them together.

The View from the Religious Middle
How can we oppose injustice without acting like the sky is falling?

Darren Aronofsky Talks to CT about 'Noah'
Raised culturally Jewish, the independent filmmaker has created a midrash for the big screen.

World Vision: Why We’re Hiring Gay Christians in Same-Sex Marriages
(UPDATED) Controversial decision reversed days after president Richard Stearns explains change is a symbol of Christian ‘unity’ not ‘compromise.’

What I Saw When I Gave Up Mirrors for Lent
A reflection on fasting from my reflection.

Three Ways Catholic Tradition Bolstered My Protestant Faith
When a Swedish pastor’s conversion made recent news, I remembered my own draw to the church.
The Quick Take for March 21, 2014
What are critics saying about 'God's Not Dead'? Find out, along with streaming picks and more in this week's cheat sheet.

The Gospel of Interracial Marriage
How unity in Christ should overcome our segregated pews and segregated dating lives.

The Most Influential Reformer You've Never Heard of
Hannah More shows us what happens when Christians focus on world-changing instead of in-fighting.

How I Stopped Being a Happiness Skeptic
Even our fleeting moments of bliss are worth celebrating.

SXSW 2014—Day 9: The Winding Stream; Wicker Kittens; Double Play: James Benning and Richard Linklater; Two Step
We wrap out a week of coverage with films that are the kind of stuff you will like if you like that kind of stuff.

When a Stay-At-Home Mom Needs Hired Help
Three kids, no job, and a nanny: Choosing humility instead of doing it all.

SXSW 2014—Day 8: Vessel
A documentary raises an important question: when it comes to abortion, shouldn’t we all choose our words carefully?

The Quick Take for March 14, 2014
Great Netflix picks, reports from Sundance, a documentary narrated by Natalie Grant, and more.

Does God Wish Adam Lanza Had Never Been Born?
After his father’s recent remarks, Christians are challenged to remember the value of every life.

Enough About the B-Word
Sorry Beyonce and Sheryl Sandberg, we’ve got bigger problems than “bossy.”

SXSW 2014—Day 5: DamNation; The Possibilities are Endless; Housebound; Beyond Clueless
An environmental documentary stands out as the film festival reaches the halfway point.

Social Activism Before Social Media
Passionate Christian leader Nellie McClung spoke out against indignity at every level.

SXSW 2014—Day 4: Beginning with The End; Silicon Valley; A Night in Old Mexico; Cesar Chavez; Participant Films Session
An uplifting doc about hospice, thinking about film for social change, Robert Duvall, and a TV pilot from the 'Office Space' director.

Mourning the Death of a Church
How our congregation found resurrection and hope at the end of its life.

Raised in a Christian Cult
‘Girl at the End of the World’ adds to an important line of ex-fundamentalist survivor stories.

The Wind Rises
Miyazaki's farewell film is above all an elegy for the impermanence of beauty, art, love, and ultimately life itself.

Heal Me—Body, Mind, and Soul
Our need for a more robust Christian theology of medicine.

SXSW 2014—Day 2: She's Lost Control; Only Lovers Left Alive
A pair of well-made films with limited commercial appeal.

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Wes Anderson's latest is a feat of filmmaking, a formally-interesting movie that's also deeply meaningful.

The Quick Take for March 7, 2014
Streaming picks, critics on the weekend's movies, Veronica Mars is back, and more.

The Enduring Revival
The 'Toronto Blessing' in 1994 was odd and controversial—but its benefits have lasted.

Son of God: Not Just Another Pretty Face
How Hollywood’s portrayals might actually teach us about God, if we look beyond appearances.

Our Brothers' Keepers: A Brokenhearted Black Woman Speaks Out
Watching the disproportionate fear and struggle faced by black men in America.


Paid Content for Scientists in Congregations
Our churches are full of people who want to know more about science and faith. And those outside the church want to know even more.

The 160-Year Christian History Behind What's Happening in Ukraine
How we have misunderstood Russia, the Crimean Peninsula, and supposedly secular Europe.

Christian Women Need to Know Their History
By celebrating the stories of generations before us, we better understand our own.

America Does Not Live by Elite Consensus Alone
After World War II, a small cluster of intellectuals determined our cultural values. George Marsden says we need more voices at the table.

Faith Upon a Fairy Tale
There’s no shame in the childhood comfort of moral stories.

The Unfortunate Art of Female Self-Sabotage
How women inadvertently undermine their own success.