Samuel Wells
A liturgy for people affected by suicide
One person told me, “It’s the first time I’ve been in a church for 30 years, since that day.”
Terrorist, spy, prisoner, truth-teller
When Sean O'Callaghan joined the IRA, nationalism was his religion. Later he saw how it poisoned his soul.
Why human rights and global ethics are inadequate concepts
In a globalized world, Michael Ignatieff argues, grand moral values have failed. What's left is virtue.
A pastor's job isn't to make bad things seem better
If you have to choose between offering false hope and the truth, go with the truth.
A confession about three nails
"Sam," the voice on the phone said, simply. I was transported back 25 years.
The hunger that no meal satisfies
Isaiah 55 gives voice to the longing we can't quite name.
The day my clergy group let one member down
The story was gut wrenching. Then came the group's response.
Two stories that define our world
One tells us we can have anything we want. The other says our problems are someone else's fault.
A book that has transformed my life of faith
For the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, we asked writers to choose one formative book and tell us about it.
A former parishioner shows me the gospel
His life had emerged from chaos, but he didn't have a bad word for anyone.
What two pastors from novels taught me about incarnational presence
Mr. Irwine and Tóti offer lessons in going below the surface.
What people need from their pastors
The ailing young man wanted to be face to face with God. I opened my shoebox.
A chat with the refiner’s fire
“You’ve talked about a lot of things,” says your refiner’s fire. “Which is the one that really matters?”
A cure for liberalism?
John Milbank & Adrian Pabst consider Western society’s many problems and offer a prescription: virtue.
How evil wins, and how to beat it
We need to study peace a lot harder than those who are studying war.