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UNESCO on Religion, Culture and SOGI in Asia; Orthodox Family Sues to Stop Cremation of Israeli Trans Woman; Struggles of Iraqi Queer Activists; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…agitators showered me with insults on social networks, harassed me on the phone and at events, and even complained to my place of work. On 24 August 2014, Ukrainian Independence Day, myself and some friends who were in a picket on Malaya Sadovaya street was physically attacked by activists belonging to the pro-government movement “NOD” [National Liberation Movement]. They said that I was a “leading Ukro-Fascist and organiser of a Maidan in St. Pe…

The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Humans

By Amina Wadud

…ill go to Mina, etc. There is still no address for the hotels, but a local phone number. There is also information about processing customs at Jeddah, meeting the tour guide, and information that says “the group” will proceed to Makkah—which means the first will have to wait for the last person, which is the beginning of feeling like you are a group. They even include suggestions to “get to know” your fellow travelers. I still had no idea what wer…

Lo and Behold, the Sacredness of the Internet

By Martyn Smith

…by Leonard Kleinrock, a computer scientist, on our way to seeing the first computer to communicate over the internet. Upon entering the room that was the net’s place of origin, Kleinrock looks into the camera and tells us: “We are now entering a sacred location…a holy place.” Looking at a notebook that casually records the first internet connection on October 29, 1969, Kleinrock makes a comparison to the guy on Columbus’s ship who first spotted la…

The Religious Mourning of ‘Saint’ Kobe Bryant Continues

By Terry Shoemaker

…year’s All-Star game, one team wore Kobe’s number 24, while the other wore number 2, Gianna’s uniform number. The MVP award, given this year to Los Angeles Clippers’ star forward Kawhi Leonard, was renamed permanently for Kobe Bryant. Pregame and half-time shows centered on Kobe, his family, and his impact on the sport of basketball and society. The collective grief and bereavement displayed by fans and players alike not only demonstrate the power…

Closed-Door Conference in Poland Shows How US Conservative Christian Networks Export ‘Conversion Therapy’

By Antonia Gross and Rina Nikolaeva

…osition to gender-affirming healthcare before the Montana Senate Judiciary Committee, alongside representatives from a number of anti-trans organizations, including familiar faces like the Family Research Council and the Heritage Foundation. The “Changed Movement” began, according to its website, when Williams and Woning testified along with 30 others and delivered a book with stories of “ex-gays” to California Senators who were, at the time, cons…

The Benedict Opt-Out: Why Christian Self-Isolation Won’t Work

By Kaya Oakes

…r easier.” Dreher acknowledges that the long-term viability of these small communities is unknown, but what becomes clear as he revisits this topic again and again in recent months is that conservative religious reaction to mainstream culture is symptomatic of a fear of change. Public school curriculum, marriage equality and the growing acceptance of transgender individuals are just a few of the topics Dreher has connected to his arguments for con…

From Pastor to Harvard’s ‘Godless Church’ Planter

By Becky Garrison

…ith these developing communities as “coaches” or even “planting” their own community. How do these communities avoid the trap of other Christian community building efforts like New Monasticism and Emergent Church that showed potential to be the “next big thing” but often ended up becoming yet another author/speaker show? There’s a danger that any venture can go this way. I’m going to try and avoid this by offering solid training, resources, accoun…

Conversion Story #643 (not a real number)

By Amina Wadud

…d) for the endeavors of others in faith. The Qur’an says, “There can be no compulsion in religion.” Then it goes on to say, “Truth is manifestly evident from Falsehood.” For sure, Truth cannot be forced. What is more, a person cannot see if not with complete volition; otherwise, it is just corruption. Coercion then, is antithetical to faith. I have only greater love for any perspective of faith that one attains to work by actions of devotion for t…

Sharing Many of the Same Flaws as its Subject ‘The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill’ Podcast Puts Blame Anywhere But Where It Belongs

By Jessica Johnson

…ys Mark was the first Internet age megachurch celebrity pastor and leading number one podcasts, number one sermon downloads, those kinds of things. So what that did is, elevated Mark to the stratosphere so quickly, whereas you might think…typically they may take 20-30 years of faithful ministry, but the Internet just propelled things with such rapidity, and the Internet only sees how you speak, that’s all the Internet is, it’s all about verbal art…

New Poll Reveals a Paradox in Evangelical Support for Donald Trump

By Daniel Schultz

…some or a great deal of influence on U.S. laws. The only other groups that come anywhere near that number are Hispanic Protestants (78%) and Black Protestants (74%). White evangelicals are also the most likely to say that when scripture and the will of the people conflict, the Bible should win. Hispanic Protestants come in not far behind. Interestingly, White evangelicals are not the most likely to say that the Bible currently has a great deal of…