Jana Riess

Late last week, news outlets began reporting that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had issued a statement distancing itself from Tim Ballard, the founder of Operation Underground Railroad, which uses quasi-military sting operations to combat the sexual exploitation of children. The organization was celebrated in the recent movie “Sound of Freedom.”

It’s taken more than half a century for Judy Blume’s iconic 1970 novel “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret” to appear on the silver screen. But in many ways, the story’s more apt for a 2023 crowd than it was in the era of Richard Nixon and “The Brady Bunch.”

Kristin Swenson wants to give readers space to understand that the Bible is weird, and a box full of tools to deal with that weirdness.

Is it possible to give thanks when people are dying? Is it right to? The short answer is yes. In fact, I’d say it’s more important now than ever.

That’s what I’m thinking about on this Memorial Day, as we honor the soldiers who have died serving our country. This year, our health care workers have also filled that role.

We don’t always live up to the best of our religion’s teachings, but we have internalized some beautiful values for which we are grateful and which have guided our decisions in life.

I well remember the 1980s, when I was growing up. My generation saw scandal after scandal with “name it and claim it” preachers whose own lavish lifestyles held out the promise that God could and would make followers rich.