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

By Pamela Eisenbaum

…ssues facing us today. To be sure, Paul did not anticipate the religiously complex world in which we live. His view was too simplistic to be adopted as is; it will require more theological reflection and development. But an understanding of redemption that envisions people coming together while maintaining their differences is certainly inspiring, and that the second most important person in the history of Christianity articulated this vision of r…

RDPulpit: I Am Not A Number: Gays and Lesbians and Opinion Polls

By Candace Chellew-Hodge

…that generates not pity or sympathy for gays and lesbians, but empathy and compassion. Compassion, at its core, means to “suffer with.” If all Americans can be made to understand the suffering—the true suffering of real, living, breathing, human beings who happen to be gay or lesbian—then the issue of “rights” would be a no-brainer. We’d have equality in marriage, housing, and employment in an instant because it would simply be the right way to tr…

Christianity and Condoms

By John Blevins

…ry time you have sex. Abstain, Be faithful, Condoms: ABC. This exportation comes through the funding the Bush Administration has committed to HIV prevention and treatment through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The ABC approach is the only model that guides HIV prevention programs under PEPFAR. The first and third messages—abstinence and condom use—are defined in opposition to each other. “Abstinence” is a noun that invoke…

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…

Are Muslims Nuts?

By Haroon Moghul

…pologize for ruining Iraq?’ We should not therefore mistake tensions for incompatibilities or inherent opposition. I know a fair number of African Americans, Hispanics, and Muslims who once voted Republican. They no longer do—not because they disagree with the Republican Party, but because they feel it has no room for them. It seems opposed to their presence in America. A good number in the Muslim-majority world feel the same way about the place o…

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…

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…

Presidential Debate: We Are All Socialists Now

By Louis A. Ruprecht

…y independence the first priority for the next administration, health care number two, and education number three. McCain says there’s no reason to prioritize among the three, that “we Americans” can tackle all three at once. And both men continued to promote the strengths of their own personality: McCain the long-time (maybe too long) maverick, versus Obama the thoughtful and unflappable newcomer. The first question, concerning the economy, prese…

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…

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…