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A Seminary for Nonbelievers: Is A. C. Grayling Creating His Own Religion?

By Jessica Weisberg

…f smoke bombs during his reading at a London bookstore; there were several online petitions circling through the web. The fact that the original faculty list included only one woman did not help the image of elitism and exclusion. Critics also object to Grayling’s school on religious grounds. Giles Fraser, a philosophy professor at Oxford, complained on Twitter that the New College of the Humanities was a “new atheist school.” The Church Mouse, a…

The Best Books Media of 2008

By Jeff Sharlet

…ecorded a version of “Hava Nagilah” sung to the tune of “The Twist”? * * * Online, I am grateful for the debut of Religion Dispatches with its pointed progressive analyses, and I am thankful for the thoughtful blogs that renew my faith in the form—most recently The Kitchen Table, conversations with Melissa Harris-Lacewell and Yolanda Pierce on race, politics, religion and popular culture. * * * Last but hardly least, I found some of the most provo…

God Will Not Make You Straight: An Interview with GCN’s Justin Lee

By Candace Chellew-Hodge

…ity within the minority—LGBT Christianity. His journey led him to start an online group—the Gay Christian Network—where he could talk with others who had similar experiences, going through ex-gay ministries after coming out in conservative Christian households. The ministry has become his full-time job, with an office in Raleigh, North Carolina, and annual conferences that attract hundreds of LGBT Christians from around the world. Lee took time re…

Pope Invites his Flock to Join Facebook: Is the Digital Reformation Here?

By Elizabeth Drescher

…special responsibilities of priests to engage believers and seekers in new online media outlets—a focus that I argued largely missed the distributed rather than hierarchical point of digital media practice—this year’s letter for World Communication Day spoke much more broadly to Christians about the possibilities and risks of new media. “I would like then to invite Christians, confidently and with an informed and responsible creativity, to join th…

“Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” Less Durable Than Sexism Surrounding It

By Eva Mroczek

…venance of the fragment. She and her colleague, Elaine Pagels, were mocked online and urged to find jobs in food service (see an account of the nasty side of the debate by Candida Moss here. Top papyrologist Roger Bagnall was also convinced that the fragment was real, but though their conclusions were identical only the female scholar came in for harsh criticism. Perhaps like Eve, it was easier to see in her the oddly paired traits of gullibility…

A Peek at the Pope’s Planner

By Kate Childs Graham

…er: What exactly does Pope Benedict do all day? British news source, Times Online, turned to Vatican insiders to get the skinny on the Pope’s daily routine. Here’s the gist: 1. Pope Benedict wakes up and dons his gold lined robes and red Prada shoes. 2. He goes to 7 am Mass in a private chapel. 3. After Mass, he eats breakfast alone. (by this point in the day, it should be noted, President Barack Obama would already have been briefed by about a bi…

‘The Age of Insurrection: The Radical Right’s Assault on American Democracy’ Explains How We Got Here — And What Comes Next

By Shane Burley

…ated and multitudinous world of conspiracy grifters, armed insurgents, and online cultists. The book has a certain breathlessness to it. Covering one of the narrowest time frames in Neiwert’s canon, the book strings together a narrative so overwhelming, with such a broad cast of characters, that it’s surprising he was able to capture it in as few pages as he did. From the opening page, Neiwert’s prose feels like a gunshot: The Age of Insurrection…

Republican Scandals Drag Secretive ‘Family’ Into the Big Time

By Randall Balmer, Anthea Butler, Evan Derkacz, Jeff Sharlet, and Diane Winston

…oes not compartmentalize but which seeks power (intentionality, obedience, service and control) for God. The “genius” of the Protestant Revolution was to break apart this unitary system and its divine focus, substituting it with spheres of influence (with greater or lesser degrees of divine penetration depending on your theology) that gave man (gender-specific indeed) his due. That this Protestant notion is completely naturalized among 21st centur…

‘No Room’ for Gays in Country that Worships God [Kenya] | Churches Fight to Keep Sexuality Out of Sex Ed [S. Korea] | Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…robi church congregation in the national Swahili language, according to an online video posted by Kenyan broadcaster KTN. Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Kerry was not familiar with Ruto’s remarks but said it was the U.S. position that “all people are created equal.” Openy gay Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainana criticized Ruto’s comments, saying “Kenya’s deputy president joins an important tradition by Africans in power to spread hate in ch…

Russian Orthodox Church Supports Referendum on Sodomy Laws

By Chrissy Stroop

…or which Okhlobystin—an ordained Orthodox priest on indefinite hiatus from service in the church—serves as creative director. As Global Voices Online’s Kevin Rothrock has pointed out, many in the liberal Russian blogosphere had until recently tended to regard Okhlobystin as only a charlatan and provocateur making outlandish statements as a form of performance art. His recent actions, however, are causing some of them to change their views and to s…