The Real (and More Interesting) World Behind Magic in the Moonlight
…m Steinmeyer, The Glorious Deception: The Double Life of William Robinson, aka Chung Ling Soo, the “Marvelous Chinese Conjurer” (New York: Carroll & Graf, 2005)….
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The ‘Dreher Affair’ Highlights the Right’s International Networks
…e doesn’t even begin to cover this allegation—it would be like calling the New York Post “woke”) and is now working with Julian Reichelt, the paper’s former head who was removed after investigations by the New York Times revealed that he “had abused his position to pursue relationships with several women on his staff.” “Bild” belongs to the publishing giant Springer, which recently acquired Politico. Schuler has since tried to make a name for hims…
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Is Sex Outside Marriage Dehumanizing? The Problem with Tim Keller’s ‘Biblical’ Sex Ethic
…make life.” A public theologian and the Senior Pastor at Middle Church in New York, in which capacity she’ll soon be hosting a conference called “Revolutionary Love: The Courage to Imagine” featuring a veritable who’s who of progressive Christianity as speakers, Lewis has certainly given a lot of thought to the meaning of terms like “love” and “life.” And when she talks about “making life,” she explains, “Yes, I mean babies, but that’s not only i…
Read MoreDems Need More Faith, Episode LXXI: The Beer Caucus Proposal
…neither are Real People of Faith. There are great faith stories to tell in New York City, and Berkeley, and LA, and all those other safe blue enclaves. I’ll bet you could find a liberal campaigner talking to people about their faith in one of those areas. I’ll bet you could find a bunch. Then too, the Dems-Should-Talk-More-About-Faith narrative generally means Candidates Should Talk More About Faith, ignoring the average party members. It’s to the…
Read MoreLayoffs on the Religious Right
…m God’s ambassador, sent to earth with his full authority,’ he announced.” New York Times editorial, June 27, 2004 To some, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon may be a relic of a bygone era; to others, he’s a brother from another planet. But despite the fact that news about Moon’s various religious/media/business endeavors rarely appears on the radar screens of the nation’s media (both mainstream and alternative), Moon continues to move ahead on a number…
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Pigging Out: What ‘Radically Unkosher’ Jewish Foodies Like Michael Pollan Are Missing
…r, he indicated that he recently gave “a little sermon on kosher” [sic] at New York’s Reform Central Synagogue in which he repeated his comparison of the many rules of barbecuing with those in Leviticus (still not knowing whether goat was kosher when later interviewed by Lopate). Oy. Those who otherwise stand for such commendable ideals and values should show more self-awareness and be more familiar with their own backgrounds, sure, but they shoul…
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Electionpocalypse, Part II: The Mythical Jewish Vote
…ama is handling the US relationship with Israel. Whatever that means.) The New York Jewish Week, which is quite conservative on such matters, drilled down further into these figures in an editorial last month: Those statistics might come as a shock to those who list Israel as the most important issue. The political divide in the Jewish community between Orthodox Jews and the rest of American Jewry is reflected in the fact that Orthodox Jews suppor…
Read MoreMormon Leader Affirms Doctrine on Marriage; and More in Global LGBT Recap
…c effort to detain people in unprecedented.” Lawyer Samed Rahimli told the New York Times that police had “targeted homosexuals in general, not prostitutes as they have claimed.” Many of those arrested were sentenced to up to 30 days in jail, after being charged with disobeying police orders, said Javid Nabiyev, a local activist who is helping lawyers appeal the sentences. Many were detained at home or at work, exposing their sexual orientation to…
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A Great Evangelical Divorce? — Speaker Mike Johnson’s Breakup with Marjorie Taylor Greene Could Be Bad News For Trump
…esting the political water—knowing that Donald Trump is too preoccupied in New York with the Stormy Daniels hush money trial to notice that they just kicked him in his anti-Ukraine policy bottom. Whatever the case, however, the once-backbench Johnson, now holding the Speaker’s gavel, has seemingly transformed himself from a pro-Insurrection, MAGA, Moscow Marjorie kind of guy to a polished, genteel, insider evangelical with ties to the elite Family…
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Why the Obama/Hillary Clinton Approach to Middle East Peace is Doomed to Failure
…e strengthened by the defeat of the military option proposed by Hamas. The New York Times Ad: On Wed. Jan.14, Rabbi Michael Lerner’s Tikkun magazine and the Network of Spiritual Progressives ran a full page ad in the New York Times. The ad, signed by Dr. Cornel West, Sister Joan Chittister, and 2800 others, urges President-Elect Obama to: 1.) Call for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza when he is sworn in as president, and 2.) Convene an Internationa…
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