By Randall Balmer, Anthea Butler, Evan Derkacz, Jeff Sharlet, and Diane Winston
…ere is a nagging question I ask my conservative evangelical friends: what happens when abortion is illegal? What happens when everyone is a Christian on the Supreme Court? What happens when you bring back prayer in schools? What happens when these wretched amoral leaders and avaricious politicians pray? When all of those things come “back,” they say, Jesus has returned for a 1000-year reign; or that it’s what Christians need to do. I tell them tha…
…des, but exploded in 2003 with the publication of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code which, more than anything, showcases Brown’s muddled if provocative incorporation of the Gnostic worldview into the novel. Fans of The Da Vinci Code don’t need to go out and purchase Robinson’s translation, they can simply read the Gnostic texts online at the Gnosis Archive. Or, if they’re interested in other early contenders for New Testament inclusion—the Gospel of P…
…finalized in preparation for marriage next month This week the legislature approved changes to the legal code that will allow same-sex couples to convert their registered partnerships to civil marriage beginning in March 2017. Vietnam: Government works with advocates on pro-LGBT radio show The Phnom Penh Post reports, “The Ministry of Information says it is working with LGBT rights groups to create a regular radio program that discusses LGBT issue…
…rnal policing of dress standards in Mormon communities. Conservative dress appears to be taking on new prominence as a boundary marker for Mormons, separating observant from non-LDS and less observant LDS people. The Word of Wisdom—the Mormon dietary code that prohibits consumption of tea, coffee, alcohol, and tobacco—was upgraded from recommendation to commandment in the early twentieth-century, at a time when formerly isolated LDS communities in…
…” that arose in the fallout of the media attention surrounding The DaVinci Code provided much of the impetus for a new book: Women of Opus Dei. A collection of essays and interviews by women involved in “The Work,” Women of Opus Dei is meant to set the record straight when it comes to the subjugation of women within the order. However, the hot pink book cover is a good sign that this book is anything but a manifesto for women’s rights. In fact, th…
…treat fetuses as persons at all stages of biological development. So what happened? Well, there was opposition, of course. People got nervous about the things that generally make a lot of people nervous about giving legal rights to fertilized eggs. What about in vitro fertilization? What about ectopic pregnancies? What about the liability of medical providers? The bill’s sponsors, Sen. Brian Crain of Tulsa and Rep. Lisa Billy of Purcell, and its s…
…ve things happened to our ancestors of the 17th of Tammuz and five things happened on the 9th day of Av. On the 17th of Tammuz the tablets of the law were broken, the daily temple sacrifice was abolished, the walls of the city of Jerusalem were breached, the Torah was burned, and an idol was erected on the Temple grounds… – from a mishna (early rabbinic legal code) tractate about fast days (Ta’anit 4:6) This year the 17th day of the Hebrew month o…
…nued into the Second Testament, aim at guiding all. The human task is to grapple with those principles—to discern how they promote our flourishing—and to further them secondarily, as co-creators. Why is such attention given to the stranger and what good could come from offering this hospitality? Marco Rubio said. “If ISIS is able to conduct a successful [Paris-like] operation in the U.S…. that would be an enormous bonanza for them in terms of fund…
…ing I want and must resist” to “a thing I don’t want right now,” and that happens in the ACC. As Roundling’s study shows, religious thoughts seem to help with short-term code switching because they offer a concrete set of alternative values. Similarly, when Warren says that caring for his body is a “stewardship issue,” he might be actively molding his worldview so that chocolate cake is no longer a pleasure, but a temptation to be resisted. Health…
…n that kind of guy. He is self-contained and he’s not worried about public approval or disapproval, which I really appreciate. I wasn’t as brave when I was young but stepping forward and trying to do the right thing is something to really be applauded for.” She said she has heard from critics: “I feel for those who live here, who have to deal with it on a regular basis,” she said. “I have already had phone calls from irate family members: ‘how cou…
