Religion Dispatches
…ns today can and should have much to say about each and every one of these new, and truly global crises. To say something meaningful, and to say it well, will require the art of imagination that religious energies have traditionally been marshaled to inspire. It is for this reason that I hope to devote further energy and attention to the marvelous and complex overlap between religion and art in the new year. But between now and then, there will be…
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…ring that time (at a rate of .3 percent) was the American Baptist Churches USA, which is classified as a mainline denomination. Growth for evangelical institutions has occurred almost entirely under the auspices of the ambiguous classification of “evangelical non-denominational”. These trends in Protestantism coupled with the significant decline among those who identify as Catholic (from 23.9 percent to 20.8 percent between 2007 to 2014) indicate…
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…law. The justices said the decision is up to legislators. More from the Jerusalem Post: It was stated in the verdict that because the Israeli law sees the rabbinical courts as the only authority when it comes to Jewish marriage in the country, the appeal is wrong in its basis because the High Court is a civil court, not a rabbinical one. “Essentially, the petitioners are asking from the court to recognize same-sex marriage via legislation, despit…
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…alues are discussed. Anyone who’s read mainstream religion coverage in the New York Times or other outlets knows that there are conventions that apparently must be obeyed: any mention of a liberal perspective must be followed by a lengthy discussion of declining religious adherence, usually among mainline Protestants, and a countering quote from religious conservatives who are taken with absolute sincerity, no matter how thin the pretext of their…
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…ation’s capital, police arrested 141 men in a raid on a gay club. From the New York Times: Analysts said the arrests in Jakarta were part of enforcement efforts by the police before Ramadan, the monthlong holiday in which observant Muslims fast throughout the day. Tobias Basuki, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta, said the police appeared to be formally taking on a role that had previously been held by hard…
Read More…I can’t imagine what. Arguments about evolution reappear like clockwork at times of national uncertainty, times at which Americans are questioning not just the origins of life, but its direction. As Karl Giberson, longtime advocate of peace between Darwin’s proponents and detractors, suggests in his forthcoming book, ”Saving Darwin” (HarperCollins, 2008), “the debate about evolution is not about evolution at all.” Could it be that Darwin is so oft…
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…at “Mormonism” isn’t monolithic and that the Mormon experience is vast; at times existing apart from an easily defined institution. It also reflects the reality that sometimes Mormonism can lend doctrinal support to men who commit horrific crimes, like Bryan David Mitchell, Arvin Shreeve, Warren Jeffs, Ervil LeBaron, and the Lafferty brothers—but certainly not always, especially given that each either left the LDS Church or was excommunicated for…
Read More…es to it. Even as I listened to Elder Packer in the Conference Center and knew his address would be making headlines, what I most wanted to share with Religion Dispatches readers were the “lived religion” images and experiences of 21st century Mormon life in its richness and globalizing diversity: The forward-thinking young Latinas in pantsuits (not traditional Sunday dresses) I saw in the 20,000-seat conference center. The group of teenaged Tonga…
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…hey’ve just been sitting around. Apocalypticism has inspired evangelistic crusades, moral reform movements, and generations of political activism. In his latest book, Matthew Avery Sutton, a professor of history at Washington State University, traces this history of American evangelical apocalypticism from the end of the 19th century to the present day. In the process, he proposes a revised understanding of American evangelicalism, focused on the…
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…os. The mass text alerts told people where to go and kept folks abreast of breaking news. 7) Ask for personal engagement and sacrifice. The UUA made a courageous and bold ask of supporters. People were asked to get to Phoenix in July and consider getting arrested. Approximately one-third of those arrested in Phoenix were UUs. Participants were blessed by the experience. Rev. David Miller from Solana Beach, California wrote in a blog post: This wee…
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