In a recent essay, Marilynne Robinson attributes the struggles of mainline Protestantism to preaching. She claims that the sermon, as the center of worship in the contemporary mainline church, is ...

The main theme of the liturgy of the third Sunday, whose readings are Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10; Psalm 146; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11, is a call for Christian hope and courage.

TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online ...

JTA — A religious leader rises before a head of state. Calmly, deliberately, they teach from their tradition, quote words of scripture, plead with the powerful man to govern with mercy. In so doing ...

Budde’s sermon ended with an explicit plea to the president to “have mercy on the people in our country who are scared,” members of the LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities who “fear for their lives” or ...

Many surveys have asked Americans about their religious affiliations, beliefs and practices, including what religious group they belong to – if any – and how often they attend services at a church or ...