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As Transition Looms, Jewish Studies is Mired in Controversy

By Shaul Magid

…of the field. In the early days of AJS, the academic study of Judaism was centered in Jewish institutions like JTS and Brandeis. And it’s perhaps telling that many of those involved in this present controversy, including Steven Cohen but also Jack Wertheimer, Sylvia Fishman and Jonathan Sarna, teach in such institutions (i.e. HUC, JTS, Brandeis). In such institutions advocacy may not be deemed inappropriate––in fact it may be celebrated. But the…

United Methodists Elect 1st Gay Bishop; Canadian Anglicans OK Same-Sex Marriage

By Peter Montgomery

…al meetings. More on the global context from Jacob Lupfer at Religion News Service, who wrote in May about why the Methodists’ “chaos” on sexuality will continue: When Lutheran, Episcopal, and Presbyterian denominations affirmed gay marriage or LGBT clergy, co-religionists in other parts of the world could not stop them. (Though it is worth noting that the Episcopal Church’s affirming stance has created serious challenges in its relationship to th…

Australian Church Nixes Straight Couple’s Wedding Over Their Marriage Equality Support; and More in Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…late 1980s, federal officials sought to identify homosexuals in the public service and military who were seen as untrustworthy and at risk of blackmail by foreign powers. Those targeted were subject to interrogation, harassment and dismissal. Many quit rather than submit themselves, friends and family to such harassment. In 1989, Michelle Douglas was discharged from the military for being, as the regulation put it, “not advantageously employable d…

The Politics of Anti-Gay Persecution: Gambia, Egypt, Jamaica, Russia, with a Helping Hand from US Religious Conservatives; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…rld their story.” An Anglican priest who invited LGBT people to attend his service in commemoration of Human Rights Day, and washed the feet of two lesbians, is reportedly facing some backlash from his congregation and “questions” from the Jamaica Council of Churches. Gambia: President whips up anti-gay sentiment with public rally Gambian political leaders stepped up their ongoing campaign against LGBT people this week. President Jammeh was among…

Getting Married On The Cheap? Step Into My Parlor

By Daniel Schultz

…and friends behind when they emigrated from Denmark, I suspect the parlor service suited their needs just fine. I keep wondering when the parlor wedding is going to come back into style. We have a serviceable living room here at Casa Pastor, and if you got on Mrs Pastor’s good side, she might even agree to hold your train. The room’s not very big, though, so attendants and couples on-deck would have to wait in the dining room. Maybe Mom and Dad c…

Why the Methodist Effort to Discipline Sessions Is a Risky Business

By Daniel Schultz

The United Methodist News Service is reporting that over 600 clergy and lay members of the denomination are seeking church discipline against Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his role in the Trump administration’s policy of separating detained migrant families at the U.S. border: The group claimed in a June 18 statement that Sessions, a member of a Mobile, Alabama, church, violated Paragraph 2702.3 of the denomination’s Book of Discipline. Spec…

Eddie Long Plays Victim

By Sarah Posner

…down—forces he won’t hesitate to attack himself. In both the early morning service and in remarks to the media afterwards, Long spoke but took no questions. That’s because he can’t be questioned—he’s God’s anointed one. What the media is missing in the frenzy of the sex abuse allegations is how Long allegedly coerced these young men into sexual acts with him. They were under his “spiritual authority.” They were his “spiritual sons.” They had to ca…

SCOTUS Likely to Support Memorial Cross; Should We Even Care?

By Andrew L. Seidel

If you’re Jewish, your service doesn’t matter. If you’re a Hindu who served, we don’t care. If you’re an atheist—even if you’re a hero like Pat Tillman—your sacrifice means nothing. The Bladensburg cross—which “was re-dedicated in honor and memory of all veterans” decades ago—sends those messages to our military, veterans, and their families. Though some Christians truly do appreciate the problem, conservative Christians are desperate to defend t…

Oppose Afghanistan But Not a Pacifist? Tough.

By Gabriella Lettini

…integrity of our military compromised; we break the moral backbone of our servicemen and women. When this happens, the international just peace community, which the president so eloquently valorized in Oslo, is weakened. And we trivialize our broader commitment to morally responsible public life. President Obama asserted that a just peace can only last if it is grounded in the “inherent rights and dignity of every individual.” It is time our nati…

Mojave Desert Cross is Stolen

By Lauri Lebo

…ruled that the cross should not be removed. According to the National Park Service, the thieves cut the metal bolts that attached the cross to surrounding rocks. Park service spokeswoman Linda Slater on Tuesday said possible suspects range from scrap metal scavengers to people “with an interest in the case.” The VFW is offering a $25,000 reward. I sincerely hope this wasn’t an act by some wrongheaded activist on a mission and I was relieved to see…