Pox Americana: Franzen’s Tragic Vision
There is nothing small-bore or contemptible about a novel that explores the wonder and heartbreak of romantic love against the distant thunder of imperial warfare.
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The Leadership Failure of Park51
Speaking out against Islamophobia does not mean supporting Park51.
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Abe Foxman’s “Irrational Or Bigoted” Positions
Park51 and testing the “limits of religious freedom” or the limits of civil discourse?
Read MoreChanneling T.S. Eliot, Ross Douthat Fears The Loss of Taboo
Is it Ross Douthat? Or a reincarnation of T.S. Eliot?
Read MoreIslam, Meet Maureen Dowd
The Times columnist’s latest betrays a terrifying ignorance of Islam.
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Something Borrowed, Something Blue: Avatar and the Myth of Originality
Avatar is now officially the top-grossing movie of all time, but that’s not because it shows us something entirely original (in 3D no less). Like all good myths, it is a mashup: a mix of well-tested stories, presented in an unfamiliar way.
Read MoreResponse to Nicholas Kristof on Religion and Women
A fine start. And now we look forward to a deeper, and broader conversation.
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“God Needs You To Get Out of the Bubble”: Riverside Controversy Exposes Theological, Racial Fault Lines of the Christian Progressive Movement
What does it mean that Rhodes Scholar and Progressive Evangelical Brad Braxton resigned as senior pastor of the influential Riverside Church? In this discussion over the implications, a reverend and a scholar ask whether multiracial churches require making white people comfortable, why God needs liberal protestants to get out of the bubble, and what the future holds for the mainline church as a whole.
Read MoreUpdated: New Riverside Pastor Steps Down; Where Does That Leave Progressive Christianity?
After several months of vocal opposition to Rev. Braxton’s compensation package, the Rhodes Scholar will not lead one of the nation’s premier progressive institutions.
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How Much is a (Progressive) Pastor Worth?
When New York City’s fabled Riverside Church brought in a new, evangelical pastor with a pay package of $600K it made roaring headlines and sparked a lawsuit. Our writer attended the Sunday service and reports back on the “controversy.”
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