Long before I became familiar with the academic debates concerning calling God “Mother,” debates that I am now currently a part of as a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, I was being raised in a household where I instinctively understood that the divine presence was manifest in the loving hands ...

Small wonder, given the harrowing times recently, that news about a long-running property fight over a picturesque church in Northern Virginia escaped most people’s notice. But the story of the struggle over historic Falls Church is nonetheless worth a closer look. It’s one more telling example of a little-acknowledged truth: though ...

The 5-part, 10-hour “Bible” miniseries on History, which aired its final episode Sunday, has become the biggest cable television hit of the year. It brought in almost 13 million viewers the first night and consistently garnered 10 million viewers each episode. It even regularly beat AMC’s top-rated Sunday night series ...

Religion can be a source of comfort that improves well-being. But some kinds of religiosity could be a sign of deeper mental health issues. Seeing their kids more eager to pray than play video games, most parents would shout, “Hallelujah” or whatever their expression of joy. And they should. Research shows ...

Do you like feeling good without having to act on your feeling? Boosting your self-esteem no matter your competence or behavior? Then I’ve got the religious program for you. According to the latest Pew report, almost 1 in 5 Americans identify themselves as “spiritual but not religious.” In other words, they have some ...

Annette Miller does a push-up during the Fit Nation kickoff weekend in Atlanta. (CNN) -- You never know who's watching. As a child, I always thought this saying meant I had to make sure I was on my best behavior when grown-ups weren't around to make me mind. Over the past year, ...

The long-awaited papal conclave in Rome officially began when the cardinals chanted an ancient hymn, called Veni, Sancte Spiritus. One of the most solemn of Catholic chants, it is used infrequently, and means “Come, Holy Spirit.” With this hymn, the cardinal-electors pray for the help and guidance of the Holy ...

Mark Burnett is the king of reality television. His shows and spinoffs command hours of prime-time television real estate. The seal of his production company One Three Media appears at the end of “Survivor,” “The Voice,” “The Apprentice,” “Shark Tank,” “The Job” and “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?” He ...

His piano and his beloved books will follow the ex-Pontiff on the short trip from the Apostolic Palace — Sixtus V’s majestic palazzo that has served as the Popes’ living quarters and main office since the 16th century — to Mater Ecclesiae, which despite a name that means the Mother ...

On Sunday Oct. 7, about 1,500 pastors of various faiths engaged in an organized act of civil disobedience: they endorsed political candidates from the pulpit, and many will continue to do so until election day. That may not sound like a crime, but the pastors were violating the U.S. tax ...