Religion Dispatches
…liberty” issue to fit with the CPAC theme of “Saving Freedom.” But Earll’s talk was notable less for its effort to conjoin “sanctity of life” issues with the broader conservative movement than for its frank depiction of FOFA’s new strategy. It’s a sort of stealth evangelism. FOFA is “trying to expand the pro-life audience that will hear and positively receive a pro-life message,” said Earll, citing the Tebow ad as its “most successful venture thus…
Read More…Egypt’s modern history) Gumah’s address can be seen both as a type of pep talk to security personnel frightened by talk of massacring hundreds of unarmed civilians, and as an attempt by the military-backed government to protect itself against allegations that, by eliminating Islamists, it was acting against Islam. Also troubling is evidence, presented by Human Rights Watch, that the regime “failed to intervene” to stop violent attacks on churches…
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…died more than a month ago, on January 27, it is still difficult for me to talk about him in the past tense. I expect that his books have something to do with that—the way they play with time. Yet as the accolades multiplied in the days after his demise, one thing that struck me was the almost telephoto-focus on a single novel, his 1951 classic, The Catcher in the Rye. And the most important thing to observe about The Catcher in the Rye, is that i…
Read More…unlikely. “I know that Republican candidates get extremely squeamish when talking about anything to do with homosexuality,” Dreher went on. (When he says “squeamish,” he appears to mean the candidates are too apprehensive to express the conservative view, which goes against the tide of public opinion, not that they are squeamish about talking about homosexuality. Which they may well also be.) “[W]hat do Republican candidates plan to do to protect…
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…“Dad, you run your city and let me run mine.” The story is usually told to talk about how complex and accurate Sim City is but it may also tell us something about how certain skills and interests run through family lines. I was especially interested in Zoe’s discussion of why her avatar lacks the ability to instantly acquire the skills she needs to get through the flight simulator. She argues in effect that she doesn’t want to do things the easy w…
Read More…, scripture-spouting, church-hoppin’, marriage-worshipping crowd starts to talk about how I am a hater, please, please tell me how getting a husband is going to change this horrific situation for millions of black women in this country. As for CNN’s shoddy report, ignoring it is the best remedy, right along with Faux News. There are more important things to talk about, such as that eye-opening survey on black women’s net worth, and the fact that u…
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…Montgomery, Alabama, which is part of the Arise coalition. You know, Jesus talked about the poor often. And he talked about the people who were in power, and how their laws and policies affect the very poor and made them poorer or made them less equal. And so it’s very relevant for a ministry in any church to look at how we can lobby to make a difference for the least of our citizens. About two-thirds of the Alabama coalition’s 150 members are con…
Read More…ials who had ordered them to suspend their activities. Armenia: On Popular Talk Show Lawyer Says LGBT People ‘Must Be Burnt’ According to the PINK Armenia newsletter, a gay man and his mother were invited onto a popular talk show where they “faced inhumane and unprofessional attitudes from other invited experts.” One of the other guests, a lawyer who is a member of the Chamber of Advocates of the Republic of Armenia, said “Whenever I see them [LGB…
Read More…t but altogether different set of services than we do. We are available to talk with members of our community about how their nonreligious values inform their actions, and how their worldview helps them respond to and process tragedy. We are there to listen, but we can also share some of our thoughts and share from our experiences—something that most psychologists do not do. We can also go to members of our community, rather than wait for them to…
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…deflect by claiming that liberals have simply been triggered by religious talk. Meanwhile, progressive Christians can claim that fearmongering about a cosmic battle represents an inauthentic version of the religion, and that only they, the anti-Trump faction, are the true followers of Jesus. And, of course, progressive Christians can always lob the “demonic” accusation right back at their opponents. That’s the beauty of an unfalsifiable truth cla…
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