Religion Dispatches
…It’s the new dark ages.” How was this heard in Rome, in the context of the new conservatism, the new oligarchy, and the new barbarism of the second regime of Roberto Berlusconi? They can burn books, records, and they can torch the environment. And how, by contrast, was it heard by me, an expatriate North American, who heard these same images—of burned books and new dark ages—when given voice by a bright young man from San Francisco? They can burn…
Read More…od met with key Baptist leaders in April 2006. They produced and signed a “New Baptist Covenant.” This covenant encourages Baptists to unite in efforts to “Promote peace and justice, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, care for the sick and marginalized, welcome the strangers among us, and promote religious liberty and respect for religious diversity.” They also determined to plan a meeting that would bring all Baptists in Nor…
Read More…damnation for things (like homosexuality) that millennials see as simply judgmental and unfair. If organized religion can’t renew itself from the inside, this new generation will switch to a new platform—even if they have to invent it for themselves….
Read More…on. The problem seems to be his Pentecostal roots coupled with his lack of New Thought training. Pearson believes his inclusionist perspective to be consistent with New Thought teachings, however. Both affirm the radical, inclusive love of God and the divine potential within humanity. But, most importantly, if Christ Universal needs a leader with the proven charisma to lead a multimillion dollar religious empire and the stamina to endure criticism…
Read More…well as folk practices, were repressed. After the revolution, hundreds of new churches and monasteries were erected and there was a scramble to recruit new priests. There was also a popular demand for services such as exorcism and priests like Corogeanu could become local heroes by taking claims of the demonic seriously. Corogeanu reportedly performed exorcisms in ways not approved by Church authorities and even accused his bishop of promoting Fr…
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…he backdrop for Armageddon. Or maybe on American Muslims and Jews modeling new relationships? How to find these stories? I’d look for chinks in religious, philanthropic and communal groups: new ways of looking at longstanding problems, young leaders offering alternative visions, and philanthropists supporting new models. These stories need to be teased out online or pursued on the ground—venues far from the politicos, pundits and PACs that have do…
Read More…, environmentalists, policy specialists, and a Vodou priestess gathered in New Orleans to discuss new models of water management in Southern Louisiana. The symposium, which coincided with the seventh annual Anba Dlo Halloween festival, is important for a city under the constant threat of flooding. (Anba Dlo is a Haitian creole term meaning “beneath the waters.”) But the symposium was also important moment for Afro-Caribbean religions in America. F…
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…peaks directly to God,” be updated each time the church gets a new president? At least Russell M. Nelson has the same cadence as Thomas S. Monson, so the transition to new lyrics should be about as seamless as the transition to a new straight white American male LDS president….
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…ld wager, they’re likely restricted to conservative Christian schools like New Saint Andrews). Women have purpose within this patriarchal framework—at least that’s the presentation. But those of us who’ve lived through Christian patriarchy can attest that this is not how it plays out in reality. So when I see Eve in Exile as the next best thing for women in Christian fundamentalist circles, I’m concerned that Rebekah Merkle, instead of promoting a…
Read More…ave suffered a string of defeats in recent years, potentially reigniting culture wars that many liberals had hoped were all but over. It may not be your father’s Christian right, with new players and new tactics, but it’s still the Christian right and it is more empowered than its been since the glory days of Ronald Reagan….
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