Mark I. Pinsky, 07/14/12

Author, 'A Jew Among the Evangelicals: A Guide for the Perplexed'

A helpful memory aid is this slogan: "'People' First," thus, "people with disabilities." A disability is something they have, not something they are. People use wheel chairs; they aren't confined to them.

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, 07/13/12

Dean, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, American Jewish University

In our age, many identify a spiritual life precisely with an otherworldly attitude, one that looks upon physical things as somehow destructive. We need not be chained to this toxic split.

Rabbi Jason Miller, 07/13/12

Entrepreneurial Rabbi, Technologist & Rabbi Without Borders

I thought of the Moses-Joshua relationship and the Torah's concept of inheritance and succession as I watched Prince Fielder hoist his Home Run Derby trophy high above his head. His sons flanked him on either side. His father was no where in sight.

Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, 07/13/12

Rabbi, Ohev Sholom - The National Synagogue

We are just a couple of weeks away from the completion of the Talmud. We should celebrate the fact that tens of thousands of Jews will be gathering at a football stadium in New Jersey in completion of the Talmud. That is a great thing. But I am far more excited about the alternative program that will take place the next week in New York City as it will be truly reflective of the scholarship and diversity of the glorious work known as the Talmud.

Rev. Chuck Currie, 07/14/12

United Church of Christ minister

All people of faith need to examine the positions taken by the candidates and see if they square with their deepest values and the values of our different faith traditions.

Rev. Malcolm Boyd, 07/13/12

Writer-in-residence, Episcopal diocese of LA

Two women church leaders I know are deliberately innovative in opening up new vistas of faith. They represent a vision (and also perhaps a coming reality) of a future church.

Serene Jones, 07/12/12

President, Union Theological Seminary

If you announce plans to attend law, medical, or business school, your friends and family will have a fairly good idea what you'll be doing for the next few years. Share your goal to become a seminarian, however, and you likely will be met with puzzled, if not skeptical, looks.

Qanta Ahmed, MD, 07/12/12

Author, 'Land of Invisible Women'

There were many reasons why I testified in the investigative hearings held by the House Committee on Homeland Security examining radicalization within the Muslim American community. I testified because I believe exposing a wrong is the bare minimum of my faith.

Harris Zafar, 07/13/12

Adjunct Professor & National Spokesperson for Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA

Her claims are so bizarre that one struggles to understand whether they are worthy of a response. Yet, hidden beneath lie tangible attacks against the very teachings of Islam, and it is imperative to address these.

Rabbi Arthur Waskow, 07/13/12

Founder and director, Shalom Center

We know why the ancient Temples burned. Today the role of Imperial Babylon and Imperial Rome is played by Big Oil, Big Coal, Big Gas.

Liz Wallace, 07/12/12

Writer and editor

I went to high school with a relatively large Mormon population. During senior year I became friends with a Mormon girl. She was pretty in a traditional way, funny, charming, and had a sass to her that was intriguing. In short, I had a schoolgirl crush on her.

Rev. Susan Russell, 07/12/12

Episcopal priest and activist from Pasadena, Calif.

We will leave this 77th General Convention the first church so to do in our communion or our country -- and I'm not sure I've ever been prouder to be an Episcopalian.

Daniel Philpott, 07/12/12

Associate Professor of Political Science and Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame

What is the meaning of justice in the wake of massive injustices? This question confronts the countries of the Arab Spring, just as it confronted tens of countries emerging from war and dictatorship over the past generation.

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, 07/11/12

Director of Media Relations, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

The July 4 closing of the Fortnight for Freedom at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington drew a standing-room-only crowd, a fact that stunned organizers given the holiday.

Ida Lichter, M.D., 07/12/12

Author, 'Muslim Women Reformers: Inspiring Voices Against Oppression'

Muslim sportswomen already have a forum for piety at their own Games, and international sporting organisations should, at least, resist bending their own rules to accommodate Islamist countries that legislate against women's rights.

David Briggs, 07/12/12

Writer, Association of Religion Data Archives

After deciding whether and whom to marry, the choice of a job or career is the next major life decision most likely to be influenced by faith, according to a new study.

Arthur Rosenfeld, 07/12/12

Taoist Monk, Tai Chi Master, Author

Both the Buddha and Lao Tze talk about taking a middle road and living a harmonious, balanced life, and that is precisely what is required when it comes to judging.