Mark A. Kellner

KELLNER: For Christians, scholar’s portrayal of Jesus hard to recognize

Iranian-American scholar Reza Aslan has grabbed a fair amount of headlines the past 10 days since his contentious interview with Fox News Channel religion correspondent Lauren Green. The fact that trying to discuss a complex subject via remote video connection — Mr. Aslan was not in the studio with Ms. Green — can yield problems was, sadly, demonstrated in a clip that "went viral," as is often said about Internet-based miscellany.

August 1, 2013

KELLNER: A digital approach to spreading the word

Tuesday morning, at a worship gathering held near Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, the speaker stopped short as he began to give an instruction familiar to generations of Protestants: "Please open your Bibles and turn to ... "

July 25, 2013

KELLNER: Dolan e-book gives true ‘insider’ account of Vatican conclave

For what may be the first time ever, a Roman Catholic leader has written an "insider" account of a papal conclave. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has authored an unprecedented peek at the Vatican gathering this year that resulted in the selection of Pope Francis.

July 18, 2013

KELLNER: D.C. shrine in the spotlight as John Paul II nears sainthood

The July 5 announcement by the Vatican that blessed John Paul II, the pontiff who died in 2005, has been "cleared" by Pope Francis for canonization was not overly surprising. From the chants of "Santo Subito!" ("Saint Now!") at his funeral to his beatification two years ago to the two miracles attributed to him, the Polish-born pope was a favorite among Roman Catholics, and he was respected and loved by many beyond the church's ranks.

July 11, 2013

KELLNER: Reality-show family with 12 children has quiet faith at core

They're a real, flesh-and-blood clan of children ages 2 to 21, online at www.thewillisclan.com. The sheer number prompted my first question to the brood's mother, Brenda Willis: "Aren't you always tired?" "How'd you guess?" was her laughing reply

July 4, 2013

KELLNER: A 31-year union truly ‘in sickness and in health’

At first glance, the title of the recently published memoir by one of the nation's best-known evangelical Christian couples seems to be a huge misnomer: "Joni & Ken: An Untold Love Story" (Zondervan, 2013). It just doesn't sound right.

June 27, 2013

KELLNER: Questions swirl as Salvation Army leader steps down

One of the world's best-known charitable organizations — though not always recognized for the global evangelical Christian church that it also is — suddenly and unexpectedly finds itself needing a new global chief executive.

June 20, 2013

KELLNER: Westminster’s vicar seeks to boost U.S. ties

The Very Rev. John R. Hall, a 38-year veteran of Church of England service, was in Washington last month to strengthen ties with the National Cathedral and to cultivate more friends for Westminster Abbey on this side of the Atlantic.

June 13, 2013

Evangelical Pat Robertson honored as a trailblazer in faith, politics

Pat Robertson, 83, who was honored Friday by the Faith and Freedom Coalition at its Washington gathering, carved out a unique political legacy of his own as a pioneer of Christian broadcasting, as an educator and as a standard-bearer for newly energized Christian conservative voters.

June 13, 2013

KELLNER: The steel and substance behind Joel Osteen’s charm

Traffic snaked into the Giant Center here, an arena usually accustomed to hosting Hershey Bears hockey games, on the last Friday evening in May, with lines of vehicles packed tighter than the Beltway at rush hour.

June 6, 2013

KELLNER: Getting a read on the new pope

As with the 1978 election of Pope John Paul II, the March selection of an Argentine Jesuit, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, as Pope Francis stunned many within and outside the Roman Catholic Church: The new pontiff wasn't widely known outside of South America, and his views on many issues were a bit mysterious.

May 30, 2013

KELLNER: Church of Scotland errs with anti-Israel statement

One of the many difficulties with today's popular view of Scripture as being more flexible than the average political campaign promise is that those given to compromise on biblical standards can quickly paint themselves into a very difficult corner.

May 23, 2013

KELLNER: Religious persecution can mean political upheaval

Rising persecution of minority religious communities in Pakistan, Iran and Syria — and other nations — is a serious threat to stability in those countries and their neighbors, a panel of specialists said at a Hudson Institute forum this week, showing how religious tensions can have larger political ramifications in hot spots around the world.

May 16, 2013

KELLNER: Reclaiming a Jewish legacy in an unlikely place

Not well known, until now, is Cape Verde's status as the onetime home to many Moroccan Jewish emigrants, whose cemeteries are being restored, thanks to the determined effort of a D.C. woman who stumbled upon this aspect of the diaspora a few years ago.

May 9, 2013

She kissed Elvis, then became a nun: Mother Dolores Hart pens memoir

In the sultry climate of New Orleans, where she broke into films in 1957's "Loving You," co-starring a young singer named Elvis Presley, Dolores Hart locked lips with the hottest musical sensation of the day. That kiss — a first for both on screen, and in Technicolor, no less — was a stunning start to her brief film career.

May 8, 2013

KELLNER: Dolan symbolizes warming Catholic-evangelical ties

Affable Roman Catholic Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, endeared himself to the overwhelmingly evangelical Protestant crowd at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview's 2013 Wilberforce Awards dinner April 27,

May 2, 2013

Cardinal Timothy Dolan draws praise at evangelical gathering

Before a ballroom packed with people who once might have shunned his words, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, Roman Catholic archbishop of New York, told an audience of evangelical Christians on Saturday night that "the transformation of a culture is a most heroic cause indeed."

April 28, 2013

KELLNER: Interfaith marriages pose congregational issues

An estimated 42 percent of American marriages are interfaith unions, with partners not sharing the same religion or one claiming no religion at all. That change is likely to affect families, marriage survival rates and even local congregations, an author with first-hand knowledge of the subject says.

April 25, 2013

KELLNER: ‘Killing Jesus’ details Christ’s death with chilling realism

Mel Gibson was criticized for the graphic portrayal of the Crucifixion in "The Passion of the Christ," and the cable miniseries smash "The Bible" was criticized in some quarters for its realistic rendering. Neither of these versions, however, comes close to the gripping and compelling account brought to readers in "Killing Jesus," a book by Stephen Mansfield.

April 18, 2013

KELLNER: Day of Jewish Learning seeks to build community

On Sunday, a regional group will try to reach Jews in and around Washington, D.C., to help forge a greater sense of community and throw some education into the process.

April 11, 2013