Religion Dispatches
…way from the hard work of repentance, who tickle our ears with promises of cheap grace, and offer a vision of the cross of Jesus that has nothing to say to the crosses, and lynching trees, of history. But, if we do, we will be settling for the gospel of Caesar, not the good news of Jesus Christ. Perhaps it is time to put down the chalk, stop drawing pyrotechnical conspiracy theories that play into our worst fears and listen, instead, for the diffi…
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…ssia walk these days. I wrote for RD on the eve of the Russian invasion of Ukraine that any war between Russia and Ukraine would be a religious war. The same is true in Moldova (and would, for that matter, be true in Estonia and Georgia), because the current recurrence of Russian aggression is intimately linked to the intra-Orthodox conflict over liberalism and modernity that extends across the Orthodox world, that mirrors so much of what we saw w…
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…edral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, Kirill asserted that the fighting in Ukraine was a result of the rejection of “fundamental values” by those who “claim world power.” These nefarious powers, the Patriarch goes on to explain, “demand that you hold gay pride parades as a test of loyalty.” Countries that fail to take this Rainbow Oath are apparently denied access to Visa, Mastercard, and Netflix. The war in Ukraine, according to the spiritual lea…
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…We have an unprecedented access to cheap goods, yet we must recognize that cheap goods are cheaply made. I am not speaking of quality, I am speaking of cheap labor. We must recognize that through the act of shopping, whether it is for an article of clothing, a toy, a pint of strawberries, or even our morning cup of coffee, we participate in a global economy that values profit over people. Disposable goods are made by disposable people, faceless in…
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…e success either. The opening weekend saw sales of more than $6 million in tickets. That’s the kind of number that will inspire others to try and figure out the formula for the faith-and-family blockbuster. Yet, with the cost of the film reportedly exceeding $30 million, it’s an open question whether or not the Left Behind reboot will get a second installment. The marketing problem of evangelical movies is still, stubbornly, a problem. The general…
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…ou’ll read an excerpt below—has surprised me, too. I wish I could find my airline companion and give him this book, to surprise him, too—in a good way. (I would accept Lakers tickets in lieu of apologies, but I think that particular era is done.) This whole book is a result of a profound evolution, and needs to be seen as such. American Muslims have gone through a lot over the last few decades. We were never the caricature Islamophobes made us ou…
Read MoreAt oral argument in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties, Inc. v. Sebelius this morning, the Supreme Court justices spent a great deal of time questioning the lawyers in the case about whether corporations have a religious conscience, and whether Congress intended to protect it when enacting the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). What was most striking, though, was how all three female justices, Sonia So…
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…enko and Marina Kostetska and expores the challenges facing LGBT people in Ukraine, where a 2015 law bars anti-LGBT discrimination in the workplace but where cultural prejudice is a continuing reality. Ukraine has been struggling to balance national identity and European values. Insight has monitored hate crimes and discrimination as well as advocates for legislative changes to protect the LGBT community. The organization of five members came up a…
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…r homeland. Moreover, much of the world rallies behind white refugees from Ukraine in contrast to Black and brown refugees from Ukraine and around the world. Such solidarity is displayed in Ukrainian flag bumper stickers, locally organized rallies around the United States, celebrity fundraisers, social media organizing, and the auctioning of NFTs. Such displays make no obvious attempt to remedy the disproportionately difficult barriers faced by Bl…
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…te segregation and economic favoritism. When I spoke with Rothstein on the phone, he underscored the long-term effects of this last policy. During the 1940s and 1950s, suburban subdivisions were built in St. Louis, and throughout the country, using federal loans stipulating that no homes be sold to African Americans. Priced at about $125,000 in today’s dollars, these were affordable—with a mortgage—to working class families, black or white. Yet bl…
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