The Boy Scouts of America will now allow transgender boys to join its ranks. Serving about 2.4 million boys and young men just in the United States, the organization has been around since 1908. The early years were not e ...

Category: Equal Rights Morality

The United States Constitution was written to allow for the free exercise of faith by its citizens as well as avoid state-mandated religion. The question of balancing religious freedom with civil liberty has been particu ...

Category: Freedom of Religion Religion Christianity

The season of Lent begins on March 1, following Mardi Gras on February 28. The first day of Lent is called Ash Wednesday. Many denominations hold a service for believers as a way of beginning the season. Ministers bless ...

Category: Holidays and Observances Religion Christianity

"We are a nation of immigrants, a quilt of many colors, and we've managed over more than two centuries to create a way of life that allows for a reasonable degree of upward mobility, that prizes individual liberty, promo ...

Category: Human Rights Politics

As we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. and prepare for African-American history month in February, let's talk about other noted leaders in the civil rights movement who may not have gotten as much attenti ...

Category: Online Ordination

In the Christian faith, many infants are baptized or christened after birth as a way of demonstrating that the child will be raised in the faith. During the ceremony, godparents are usually named for the child. Today's g ...

Category: Religion Baptisms

Baptism is first mentioned in the New Testament in reference to John the Baptist. Matthew recounts: "People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they w ...

Category: Ceremonies Religion Baptisms Christianity

The Episcopal Church has made many strides in social justice throughout the years, most noticeably, giving the LGBT+ community a place to worship and get married in the church. Another outreach that the Episcopal Church ...

Category: Environment Christianity

If you've decided to do more Bible reading in 2017, you need to have a plan. Fortunately, there are many different apps and websites that offer a plan based on your own preferences and schedule. It seems so easy to just ...

Category: Online Ordination Christianity Be a Minister

Recently, the Vatican issued guidelines about cremation and scattering ashes. If you only saw the following headlines, you might be confused: Vatican Issues New Cremation Guidelines for 'Faithfully Departed' Final re ...

Category: Funerals Online Ordination Christianity