The Humanitas Forum

Even though Soul Searching was published in 2005, there is little reason to think that things have improved in the spiritual lives of American teens.  In fact, in a follow-up study, Souls in Transition:  The Religious and Spiritual Lives of …

All things old are new again. Or, so it would seem!

As I recently reread Peter Gay’s chapter on “The Era of Pagan Christianity,” I was reminded of a more recent book that reflects a similar sort of syncretism, …

How are the Middle Ages like the decades before and after the turn of the 21st century? Both are characterized by religious syncretism—the blending of different philosophical and religious beliefs and practices.

Historian Peter Gay describes the four centuries …

One of the churches seeking to remedy the sacred-secular dualism discussed in the previous post is Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan.  In 2003 Redeemer created their Center for Faith & Work for the purpose of helping their congregation “make a …

The priesthood of all believers was one of the major doctrines clarified by the 16th century Reformation. Yet, its impact on Protestant Christianity has not been all that significant.  Some fifty years ago, one theologian argued that this vital doctrine …

Sunday morning idols don’t always arrive tucked away in the hidden recesses of the human hearts.  Sometimes they arrive in software packages ordered by the very people who plan Sunday morning worship.

This specialized worship software promises to “keep track …

No one is immune to idol worship, and no place is safe from the encroachment of false gods.

Jared Wilson, pastor of Middletown Springs Community Church in Vermont, uses Isaiah 44 to show that the transition from everyday work to …