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Response: What Black Prophetic Politics?

By Jonathan L. Walton

…eed been what Adolph Reed refers to as a “mythology of the church in Afro- American Politics.” The vast majority of African American elected officials in this country extend from occupational backgrounds other than ministry. And most only appeal to the real progressive wing of the black church when politically expedient. Which tends to be, by the way, err, um, NEVER! (Let’s be clear, the Civil Rights Movement has become a socially acceptable Ameri…

Goliath the Israel Slayer: Why Max Blumenthal’s New Book is a Painful Read

By Shaul Magid

…y service, were subject to KGB-like abuse by the Shin Bet, Israel’s secret service. Most Israelis know all this. Most American Jews do not, even though a film like The Gatekeepers has been around for almost two years. But Blumenthal’s medium, a combination of myopic perspective, selective focus, and a limited understanding of context and history subverts a valuable opportunity to present another side of this ugliness, a side that American Jews and…

Mitt Romney: Wooden Pastor or Real Boy?

By Mary Barker

…ty is hard-pressed to understand. So without demeaning in the least Mitt’s service rendered, it is possible to be a bit cynical about what it all means. Mormons worship a God that is constantly judging them. They earn not just heaven, but varying degrees of exaltation in heaven based on their “performance” here on Earth. Considering themselves God’s elect (having proven “valiant” before birth in a spiritual “pre-existence” and thus having been bor…

“Joseph Smith Himself Viewed Women as Priesthood Holders”

By Joanna Brooks

…aunch ordainwomen.org? Because women in the church give countless hours of service and still we are severely underutilized. The LDS Church is run by a lay clergy—all men over the age of twelve are eligible for ordination; women are not. In seeking ordination, we seek a greater role in service to our faith. Our movement is an act of faith in the Mormon Church—our leaders, our community—that the institution can be more inclusive. Tell me about the w…

Defending the Helpless: New Bible Highlights Poverty and Justice

By Candace Chellew-Hodge

…it’s a verse from the Bible, Proverbs 31:8-9 to be exact. The poll is in service to the American Bible Society’s latest vanity Bible — the Poverty and Justice Bible that features a cover depicting breaking chains. On the inside you’ll find more than 2,000 verses that deal with issues of poverty and justice bolded by a bright orange highlight. “The Poverty and Justice Bible seeks to challenge the notion that the Bible is outdated and proves that…

Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed” Depicts Death Struggle Between Hope and Despair

By Peter Laarman

…there. The text that Michael has instructed Toller to use at his memorial service is the very last message for humanity that the Hebrew Bible attributes to God. As the Book of Job draws to a close, God rehearses the mysteries and wonders of the natural world and rebukes Job (and by extension all of us mortals) for our presumption of knowledge and control: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? (etc.)” And, as he plots a consumma…

The Quietly Crumbling Wall of Separation

By Robert Marus

…nts as unfair impediments to churches participating in the nation’s social-service fabric. Bush and his surrogates contended their efforts were attempts simply to “level the playing field”—their favorite catchphrase—for religious groups that just wanted to help their communities like any other service organization that qualified for government funding. Religious conservatives (along with a handful of moderate and progressive Catholics and evangeli…

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…

What to Wear When Praying with the Pope

By Donna Schaper

I made a lot of jokes about what to wear to the Pope’s Interfaith Service at Ground Zero yesterday. I was so thrilled to be invited that I needed a slant way to lose my pride and let it imitate the Pope’s humility. Thus the question of what to wear was my sneaky way of alerting people I had been invited by the Cardinal. Yup, the Cardinal. I know, I am bragging again. As I left the house, my husband said, “I look forward to touching your hem when…

How Evangelical-Friendly Are Scientists? A Response

By Jonathan Orbell

…tly higher rates than evangelicals. Second, while evangelicals may pay lip service to the ideal of more scientific collaboration, it is clear they expect scientists to “meet in the middle” on theologically challenging issues. Scientists must, for example, be open to the idea that certain events cannot be explained through experimentation and observation; that they are miraculous. Aghapour’s conclusion then, is that evangelicals are not actually th…