To outsiders, religious ideas can seem weird, if not paranormal. So is there a connection between faith and paranormal events? bit.ly/4ajlenx

What do religion and the paranormal have in common, if anything? Maybe it's that they both try to explain the incomprehensible: bit.ly/4ajlenx

What, if anything, is the "paranormal," and how do institutional religions think, teach and act about it? bit.ly/4ajlenx

If you're in KC this evening or tomorrow evening, don't miss "Journey to Bethlehem," a free Christmas pageant at Second Presbyterian, 55th and Brookside: secondpres.org/journey

Yes, Christians are asked to help meet the needs of hungry, homeless and destitute people. But what about the various systems that produce such people? Can't we fix those? bit.ly/4rvzrE1

With so many emergencies of people needing food, shelter and other necessities, how are we to fix the systems that produce needy people? Good question: bit.ly/4rvzrE1

My latest Flatland column -- about the growth of Downtown KC churches in recent years -- now is online here: bit.ly/3M6FUoA

Do you know about liberation theology and its roots in Latin America? The man called the theology's founder is gone but still worth listening to: bit.ly/3M87e5N

What can now-gone theologians still teach us? Oh, plenty. And we'd do well to listen: bit.ly/3M87e5N

Allow me to introduce you to a theologian who says Christianity needs to return to one of its first virtues — patience: bit.ly/49CkmKc

Suppose the reason that American Christianity has been in decline for decades is its lack of patience. Here's the case for just that argument: bit.ly/49CkmKc

Rabbis in the U.S. look a lot different than they used to. And a new study suggests there's more change to come: bit.ly/4igvdvG

Rabbis in the U.S. make up a changing group, a new study/survey shows. It's not yet clear what this means for Judaism here, but it's unlikely to look the way it did 100 -- or even 20 -- years ago: bit.ly/4igvdvG

As religion changes in the U.S. in many ways, so, too, does the picture of members of the clergy. Here's a surprising new report about American rabbis: bit.ly/4igvdvG

It can be difficult to know all the theological details of one’s own faith community, but shouldn’t most members know and understand the most central things? bit.ly/49xDZ6h

It turns out that many people of faith don't really understand their faith tradition very well -- and that includes Catholics, a Catholic publication reports: bit.ly/49xDZ6h

In his recently released "Apostolic Exhortation," Pope Leo XIV speaks to all people about why the need for empathy for the overlooked or ignored is at the heart of faith: bit.ly/4i5i7kM

In his half-year report card, Pope Leo XIV is showing many signs of his theological/pastoral connections to the late Pope Francis. On the whole, that's good for the Catholic Church in particular and for Christianity in general: bit.ly/4i5i7kM

Some six months after being elected, what can we say about Pope Leo XIV and his priorities for his church? bit.ly/4i5i7kM

A Catholic priest who tried to change church teaching about sexuality issues finally gave up. Now his wife -- yes, wife, now his widow -- tells his painful story: bit.ly/3JWbe8M

This Catholic priest challenged his church about matters of sexuality -- but then paid the price: bit.ly/3JWbe8M

Almost everything about the "War on Terror" that George W. Bush declared turned out to be the wrong approach. Now what? Good question: bit.ly/47NadHY

Do you remember how you wanted the U.S. to react to the 9/11 terrorist attacks? Like most Americans, I got that wrong, as a new book shows me: bit.ly/47NadHY

There's a lot on my blog today, including thoughts about a new book that eviscerates George W. Bush's "War on Terror." billtammeus429970.substack.com/p/a-911-titl...

A primary story about religion in the U.S. in recent decades has had to do with decline. But there are churches that are growing? How are they doing it? bit.ly/4qJPj56

In a time when church attendance and membership has been sliding for decades, why do some churches grow? Good question: bit.ly/4qJPj56

The parts of our cities that were redlined to prevent Black families from buying homes there are continuing to pay a high price for that racist decision: bit.ly/4omMs0D

For many years, racist housing/mortgage policies created redlined neighborhoods in cities across the country, including KC. Those destructive chickens have come home to roost: bit.ly/4omMs0D

Did you think that "redlining" neighborhoods was a long-ago problem? It may be illegal now but the problems it left behind still plague cities, including KC: bit.ly/4omMs0D

People who take words literally, as if they're more than pointers toward some reality, aren't taking writing, including the words of scripture, seriously: bit.ly/4qyK6Nq

People who love the power of words know that even when those words try to describe divine matters, they are not whatever it is they are describing: bit.ly/4qyK6Nq

What to do in a profoundly divided country with a dysfunctional government and people in need? A pastors group emerging from the Black Church in KC has an answer: organize: bit.ly/3WoE7wZ

@razyc.bsky.social “Western Christianity has gotten the kingdom of God violently, tragically and blasphemously wrong," the author of an insightful new book says. See if you agree: bit.ly/42Zf2fT

The path to a reliable and generative religious faith, a new book says, is to "unlearn our certainty." In fact, that may be the only path: bit.ly/42Zf2fT

Given Trump's effort to get paid $230 million for past investigations into his actions, it's clear that the president really does believe in reparations. Let's hold him to that. www.axios.com/2025/10/23/t...

Lots happening today on my Bill's 'Faith Matters' Blog, from American churches shrinking to something sort of opposite: religion in America becoming more important. Plus several other notes: bit.ly/4nl567v

For decades, American Christian churches have been shrinking -- and still are. Well, unless something else is happening, which it might be: bit.ly/4nl567v

How do you get people to take holy scripture seriously? One way is to use a bit of satirical humor to get their attention: bit.ly/4hhWYU8

The Bible is, well, serious business. But maybe one way to take it seriously (and not literally) is to have a bit of fun with it: bit.ly/4hhWYU8

One way to encourage people to read the Bible and take it seriously (not literally) is to approach the subject with a little humor. Really: bit.ly/4hhWYU8

Surveys show that people in religious congregations are happier than non-religious folks. If that's true, why? Some thoughts on my blog today: bit.ly/4nQxX4H

It turns out I'm not the only Tammeus with opinions who shows up in The Kansas City Star's editorial pages. Here's a gift link to a great column today by my daughter Kate: www.kansascity.com/opinion/read...

If studies are right, people of faith seem happier about life than others. If that's true, why? That subject and more on my Bill's 'Faith Matters' Blog today: bit.ly/4nQxX4H

Do we always know the burdens the people next to us are carrying? Their wounds? Their traumas? No, so we must treat them well: bit.ly/46MnwJv

Often without knowing it, we are with people -- even in religious services -- who are in some kind of crisis. We need to be more sensitive to that reality: bit.ly/46MnwJv

Even at worship services we often are surrounded by people -- like the author of this new book -- experiencing crisis. We'd do well to be alert to that reality: bit.ly/46MnwJv

On my Bill's 'Faith Matters' Blog today you'll find thoughts about A.I. and, separately, our distressing gun culture: bit.ly/48qyENz

When Pope Leo XIV criticizes artificial intelligence, he needs more arguments. I've found him some on today's Bill's 'Faith Matters' Blog: bit.ly/48qyENz

As we Americans try to understand and overcome the profound challenges facing us now, we can learn from Indigenous wisdom: bit.ly/4gRemyI

If Americans paid more attention to Indigenous wisdom, we almost certainly would find our way through our current troubles more quickly. On my blog today I recommend a book that makes that argument: bit.ly/4gRemyI