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Conversion Story #643 (not a real number)

By Amina Wadud

These days, when ever you say you are Muslim by choice, you get people asking about your conversion. Mostly they want to know why. This curiosity comes equally from those who are already Muslim and those who are not. I used to tell the same basic steps—although I hardly think my own individual door lights up any bulbs of excitement. Maybe because no lightbulbs went off for me either. I was a seeker. I was raised in a loving Christian environment…

Christianity and Condoms

By John Blevins

…s about gender, sex, morality, and power. The value-laden meanings of “Abstinence” are so tied to the value-laden meanings of “Be faithful” that they crowd out any other meanings of value in regard to the complexities of sexuality and sexual behavior. Those of us who care about Christian languages and practices—languages of theology, ethics, or Biblical interpretation and practices of formation, compassion, or social justice—have some capacity to…

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…

Paul the Pluralist: Jesus’ Number Two Was Not a Christian

By Pamela Eisenbaum

In recent years, a rather animated conversation has been taking place about the apostle Paul. This conversation has largely been between those who identify with what is commonly known as “the New Perspective on Paul,” and those who wish to defend a more traditional understanding of the apostle. I can’t say for sure which side is winning the debate, but some of us who were initially inspired by the New Perspective on Paul have decided that it has…

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

By Antonia Gross and Rina Nikolaeva

…n practices as torture. In the US, conversion therapy has been banned in a number of jurisdictions. Since 2013 more than 100 municipalities and 26 states have banned such practices—for minors at least. In the EU, more and more countries are making efforts to protect LGBTIQ people from conversion therapies. Malta banned conversion practices in 2016, with France following in 2021. Greece and Germany have banned it for minors. Other countries prohibi…

Is LGBT-Muslim Clash Aiding Rise of Right in Europe?

By Peter Montgomery

…light of lesbians in Chechnya, recouting the story of a young woman whose planned escape was foiled by a taxi driver who heard her discussing plans, locked the doors, and drove her home; she was dead within a week, with family members claiming it was due to kidney failure. Noting that lesbians have not faced the same kind of high-profile campaign of violent persecution that has been waged against gay men, the article says: Hovering over them is th…

New Poll Reveals a Paradox in Evangelical Support for Donald Trump

By Daniel Schultz

…te boundary. Before secular government enthusiasts get too excited by this number I would point out that, for a fair number of evangelicals, the worry is that the state will interfere with the church, not the other way around. Similarly, a little more than one in four White evangelicals said the federal government should declare Christianity the official religion of the United States. Far more (61%) said that Christianity should not be the officia…

Gays Losing Value to “Value Voters”?

By Candace Chellew-Hodge

…en though opposition to same-sex marriage seems to be cooling its heels at number three, it’s presence is still felt in just about all aspects of the “value voters” belief system. With abortion remaining at the number one spot, it’s clear that all things sexual continue to occupy the minds of those who seem the most opposed to anyone actually having sex. It’s interesting to view the “value voter” summit in juxtaposition with a new survey conducted…

No Longer Content With Right to Opt Out, Conservative Christians Asking Courts to Eliminate Rights for Others — And They’re Winning

By Elizabeth Reiner Platt

…ldren will be unable to access prescription contraception or other family planning services that facilitate sexual promiscuity and pre-marital sex.” What was his proposed solution to this supposed burden? Deanda requested that the federal court prevent the government from funding any project that “fails to obtain parental consent” before distributing family planning services to minors. In other words, an individual parent is demanding a religious…

The Social Cost of Atheism

By Lauri Lebo

…social stigma. States such as California, Washington, New York, and New England states reported the least. (Unfortunately, the article is not available online.) I can’t say I’m really all that surprised at the results. If anyone needs anecdotal confirmation, remember NFL linebacker Pat Tillman, who walked away from his successful football career to join the Army after Sept. 11 and was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan? Remember how the Army a…