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America, the Mythical: “Mother of Exiles” or Denier of Safe Haven?

…ian, but in many ways we have made the pilgrims themselves characters in a new faith. The New England settlers constitute both the Genesis and Exodus of the American scripture. The pilgrims are celebrated as the originators of the American ideal, embodying religious liberty, thrift, industriousness and individuality. Historical fact is secondary to mythical power. The Mayflower leader and first governor of the Plymouth Colony William Bradford, amo…

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Occultism and New Age Take Off in Iran: An Interview with Alireza Doostdar

…, I realized something that surprised me even more: I had assumed that the New Age was new to Iran in the 21st century; but in fact, its European esotericist precursors had been around for at least a century earlier. And so I examined what I believe to be the beginnings of European-imported spirituality: French Kardecist Spiritism in the early twentieth century, and a number of other currents that emerged around the same time (Theosophy, mesmerism…

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Anti-Gay Forces On Offense in Europe; ‘African Islam’ Challenged by Extremists; Irish Marriage Foes & ‘Sounds of Sodomy’; Global LGBT Recap

…ession. Vietnam: New Law Drops Ban on Same-Sex Couples Marrying “Vietnam’s new marriage law, which went into effect New Year’s Day, abolished regulations that ‘prohibit marriage between people of the same sex,’” write Bloomberg’s John Boudreau and Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen. “Same-sex marriages can now take place, though the government does not recognize them or provide legal protections in cases of disputes. The government abolished fines that were impo…

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The Bible Says… and Other Myths About Scripture

…are legion: the New International Version (NIV) was published in 1978, the New King James Version (NKJV) in 1979, the New Jerusalem Bible (NJV) in 1985, and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) in 1989. There is even a periodical version published in the teen magazines, “Revolve” and “Refuel,” called the New Century Bible (NCV), a version popular among evangelical publishing houses and intended to translate “thought for thought rather than word…

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New World A-Coming: How Black Religion Helped Shape Racial Identity

…ubmitted the manuscript, my editor, Jennifer Hammer, and her colleagues at New York University Press, encouraged me to go with a title that emphasized the dynamic change the leaders and members wanted to effect, so we settled on New World A-Coming. How do you feel about the cover? I’m very happy with the cover, which features a mural by Charles White with major figures from African American history. Is there a book out there you wish you had writt…

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Packed with Threats of Political Violence, Media Largely Ignore the NAR’s ‘Million Women’ Rally in DC

…ence of the rhetoric, there was little reporting in the national media. NBCNews.com, Baptist News Global, The Guardian, and Mother Jones, and Right Wing Watch covered the event seriously. [Update 10/20: since publication, the AP published a story on NAR leaders casting Kamala Harris as a Jezebel, which, towards the end, mentions the Million Women event.] NPR thoughtfully discussed its significance in advance. The New York Times’ coverage didn’t ne…

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Rick Perry and the New Apostolic Reformation

…nts, was founded by C. Peter Wagner, was in my view a marketing ploy for a new kind of Pentecostalism. The ideas aren’t new; the marketing strategy perhaps is. As Anthea Butler wrote in these pages in 2009: The NAR roots are also firmly within the boundaries of the historic Pentecostal movement. Foundational to NAR beliefs are spiritual warfare and dominion over social ills. These beliefs were influenced in part by two English authors, Smith Wiggl…

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Recovering From Rejection: The Second Coming of Ted Haggard

…res, I know I am cleansed. I know I am a new creation. I know my mind is renewed.” Haggard’s new role makes some of his fellow travelers very unhappy. H.B. London, the dour head of pastoral ministries at Focus on the Family, denounced the prayer services in the press, in a widely-circulated email, and on his blog. London reportedly told the Religious News Service of Haggard’s plans to hold prayer services, “When you think of the ethics of that, it…

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Among the Problems with Trump’s Proposed Ban: Who is a Muslim?

…ian-American foreignness kind of way.” Gotanda, though, does see something new in Trump’s proposal. “What’s new is this kind of religious based—nominally religious based—exclusion.” The effect, though, is apparent: “Now, the way [Trump]’s using it is clearly based on body. He wants to keep out brown bodies, and it elides into terrorists.” Let’s talk about Nuremberg Even when there is some kind of biological basis for defining a religious group, di…

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Televangelist Watchdog May Be Forced to Close Its Doors

…ssisted the Senate Finance Committee with an investigation of possible tax code violations by televangelists, Trinity has seen less media coverage, and hence fewer donations from the public, according to the letter. Trinity’s investigations for the Senate Finance Committee led the Committee to launch an investigation, in 2007, based on revelations that televangelists had used tax-exempt funds for luxury cars, private jets, mansions, and even plast…

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