confession

personal narratives

"I mopped thin stripes along the floor, careful to let one dry before beginning another."

The Word Made Strange

By Peter Manseau | October 20, 2006

How does the son of fallen clergy rebel? He tries to become a monk. An excerpt from Vows: The Story of a Priest, a Nun, and their Son, now available in paperback.

"They don't preach, they just play the hell out of their set..."

God and Guitars

By Joel Hartse | August 22, 2006

Christian rock might not have all the answers, but for one fan and one band, it’s the questions that matter.

"The songs seem to come from somewhere ancient and strange."

Four Tables

By Margaret Schwartz | April 10, 2006

A Passover story of family and wine from Half/Life: Jew-ish Tales from Interfaith Homes.

"I don't know tongues, but I know how Holy Ghost people talk to the Lord."

My Holy Ghost People

By Ashley Makar | March 21, 2006

When a family speaks in tongues, can an unbelieving daughter find her voice?

"Yeah, but don't you want to look good?"

How Do I Look?

By Jeff Guhin | February 21, 2006

As the old saying goes: If you’re not a slobby activist when you’re twenty, you don’t have a heart. If you’re not a fashion plate by thirty, it’s time to go shopping.

"Christ and Buddha" by Ruth Jones

The Temptation of Belief

By Bethany Saltman | February 10, 2006

What happens when you envy those whose faith you fear?

mlk

The Cross and the Color Line

By Timothy B. Tyson | January 16, 2006

They killed King Jesus and Dr. King. Can anything ever be all right again?

"Burma is a dangerous place! I know, I saw Beyond Rangoon!"

Motherly Love

By Diana Winston | December 14, 2005

Thus spoke Buddha’s mother: Fine, fine, be enlightened. But would it kill you to call now and then?

"It is enough that there is a world, after all."

Running on Faith

By Rebecca Beyer | November 18, 2005

Where is God? Chasing an answer when you can’t see the road ahead.

"Are we Jewish?" I asked my father. "Only when they come around for the camps next time," he said.

The Conditional Jew

By Lisa Selin-Davis | November 13, 2005

A child of hippies wonders when she is what she is, and why.

"It isn't about the absence of germs."

Getting Clean

By Emma Snyder | August 24, 2005

What is the sound of one hand washing again and again and again?

"Faith is not a style."

A Slut for Faith

By Laurel Snyder | August 1, 2005

Leaving God at the altar, and other tips for marital bliss.

"A poverty that would keep us free."

It Makes Great Press

By Peter Smith | July 26, 2005

A group of New England Buddhists finds Zen in the art of panhandling–but at what cost?

The Marrakech Express

Night Train to Marrakech

By Reza Aslan | June 27, 2005

The clash of monotheisms as seen from the cramped quarters of a sleeper car.

"If Buddha had played a trick like that on me, I would've torn his goddamn head off."

White Ashes

By Jeff Wilson | May 25, 2005

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but the loss of a loved one will haunt you forever.

The Ten Plagues, detail

Exodus

By Francine Prose | April 22, 2005

A Passover reading from Killing the Buddha: A Heretic’s Bible.

Pope John Paul II

The Last Papal Picture Show

By Peter Manseau | April 1, 2005

The life, death, and ever-changing image of an icon.

"Confronted with the Gospel of John, I could not hide behind metaphor..."

Singing the Passion

By Sue Russell | March 23, 2005

A Jewish chorist tries to harmonize with the Gospel of John.