Spirit

Filling our lives with motivation and meaning.

Charter for Compassion

posted Nov 06, 2009

Video: Ecumenical author Karen Armstrong wished for a Charter for Compassion, a yardstick for global empathy crafted from the input of tens of thousands of religious and secular people all over the world.

New Crop of Farmers :: Andy Asmus & Emily Dietzman

by Anna Stern, Kim Nochi

posted Feb 13, 2009

As a farmer my complete being is engaged and challenged physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Saying Grace Around the World

by Nikki McClure, Anna Stern

posted Feb 13, 2009

Artist Nikki McClure adds her touch to our collection of mealtime prayers from around the world.

Dalai Lama Renaissance

posted Nov 04, 2008

At the edge of the Millennium, the Dalai Lama invited 40 of the West's leading, most innovative thinkers in their respective fields to discuss the world's problems and how we can solve them. Fran Korten was one of them.

Secular Sabbath

posted Oct 31, 2008

Real people show how to live the good life and share their secrets to happiness.

Blessings Revealed

by Puanani Burgess

posted Oct 31, 2008

Puanani Burgess tells the story of one student with a gift—a gift our schools are not cultivating.

Evangelicals’ Faith Leads Them to Issues of Environment and Social Justice

by Valerie Saturen

posted Jul 30, 2008

Valerie Saturen looks at major changes in the Evangelical movement. It's growing beyond its narrow focus on wedge issues like abortion to focus more on environmental protection and social justice.

The Power of Food

by Madeline Ostrander

posted Jul 30, 2008

Providing food for people in need – regardless of whether they are “deserving” is a central part of Sara Miles' spiritual journey. St Gregory's food pantry in San Francisco.

In Review :: Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea

by James Trimarco

posted Jul 30, 2008

Best-selling author Mark Kulansky describes the movements—often religious in origin—that have denounced war in favor of active nonviolent resistance.

The Last Last Sunday

by Robert Jensen

posted Jul 29, 2008

Last Sunday was an attempt to combine interests in progressive politics, spirituality, and arts, and culture by creating a space for people to come together that wouldn't feel like a traditional political meeting, church, or concert.

Commentary :: Don’t Be Nice—Be Kind

by Akaya Windwood

posted May 22, 2008

Niceness is often filled with falseness—it is a way to not tell the truth, or to obscure it. “Be nice!” is something many of us heard as children as a way of avoiding upsetting someone… it’s not effective in the long run as a way to come together to solve the myriad difficulties facing our communities, both local and global.

The Greatest Danger

by Joanna Macy

posted Feb 01, 2008

In the face of global warming it is hard to escape a sense of outrage, fear, despair. Author, deep-ecologist, and Buddhist scholar Joanna Macy says that speaking the truth of our anguish for the world brings down the walls between us, drawing us into deep solidarity.

Abraham to Descendants: "Knock it Off"

by Sarah van Gelder

posted Nov 06, 2006

A roundtable discussion with Sarah van Gelder: A rabbi, a minister, and an imam, brought together by 9/11 and what followed, discover new spiritual depths from their dialogue and friendship.

Fighting the Cancer, Healing the Soul

by Pamela O'Malley Chang

posted Aug 29, 2006

The Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic provides all-around care including alternative treatments for low-income women diagnosed with cancer.

Imperial Politics, Christianity and the True Jesus: Reflections on the 2004 Election

by David C. Korten

posted Dec 13, 2005

The challenge before us is to displace the politics of Empire with the politics of Earth Community based on inclusion, possibility, and partnership — an authentic values-based, problem-solving politics of mature adulthood consistent with the moral teachings of Jesus.

Make a Living-With Dignity

by Michael Ramos

posted Nov 08, 2005

The religious community, labor unions, and community groups have come together to sponsor 122 living wage ordinances in towns large and small throughout the United States.

A Stranger at the Door

by Anna Maria Pineda

posted Nov 08, 2005

Although Las Posadas is a beautiful ritual, the reality it addresses is a painful one: the reality of human need and exclusion.

What Can Congregations Do?

by Richard Lang

posted Nov 07, 2005

Three steps for congregations towards creating new economic practices of sharing

The Prophets Versus Empire

by Richard Lang

posted Oct 31, 2005

Is it time for Americans to build a culture that rejects empire and adopts the principles of the Jubilee?

An Offer of Unconditional Love

by Jamal Rahman

posted Oct 31, 2005

My grandfather, a Sufi Muslim teacher and healer in northern Bengal, often reminded his students: “If I cannot be compassionate with myself, I cannot truly be compassionate with others,” he said.