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Aung San Suu Kyi: The Verdict is Unfair
For Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, her years of house arrest have only deepened her Buddhist insight, and strengthened her commitment to a just society in Burma.
Israeli Jesus: More Popular Than Ever
The staging in Jaffa of a controversial play with Jesus as central character is shut down by protests—but not for the reasons one might imagine.
Feared Taliban Leader Killed, But Military Strategy is Not the Answer in Afghanistan
A gathering of senior scholars in the field agree that the US presence in South Asia invokes a colonial legacy and undermines peace.
Ahmadinejad’s Call For “Compassion” is a Cynical Display, Critics Say
As the Iranian president makes a public show of Islamic virtue, it is instructive to look through the eyes of Iran’s most prominent theologians and dissenters, and to recall what actual compassion looks like.
Of Zionism and Anti-Zionism: The Ultra Orthodox and the Settler Movement in Israel
Israel’s Ultra Orthodox, or Haredim, do not share the theological assumptions of the settlers—but in recent years a purely pragmatic alliance has formed. What does this mean for Israel as a society?
El Salvador’s Newest Martyr?
An interview with Jamie Moffett, documentarian, on the making of a film on the state of activism, environment, and faith in a country whose politics and economy have been linked to the United States for decades.
Cafeteria Cockroaches and Synagogue-State Relations in Israel
Set against the backdrop of the recent closure of a Knesset cafeteria due to an unkosher cockroach, Shalom Goldman takes an entertaining and meandering look at the state of affairs in Israel. Touching on topics as disparate as the alliteration-happy Israeli media and racist policy proposals, Goldman brings into sharp relief some of the tensions in Israeli religious and cultural life, much of which remains at the mercy of the Orthodox rabbinate.
The Next Generation of the Pro-Life Movement
Young people are being trained by militant anti-abortion groups to be informed, media-savvy, publicity-oriented foot soldiers in the battle to outlaw abortion.
Diplomatic Suckerhood: Why Israel Is Fighting Toward its Own Demise
A new study reveals that the majority of Israelis view the conflict with Palestine through the lens of fear, throwing their support behind a parade of bellicose and paranoid leaders. Until the cycle of victimhood and aggression is broken no amount of pressure from the U.S., vain military adventures, or Labor Party victories will alter the tragic stalemate in the region.
Prosperity, Spiritual Warfare, and the “On-Demand” God
Given that so many powerful Pentecostals and Charismatics, like Senator John Ensign and Sarah Palin, are embroiled in high-profile scandals, one might expect to hear more about the movements that unite them. Anthea Butler, a leading scholar on Pentecostalism and American religious history, traces the various movements and their theologies of wealth, healing, and dominion.
My Womb for His Purposes: The Perils of Unassisted Childbirth in the Quiverfull Movement
Already distrustful of outside experts, be they members of the education system or leaders of traditional denominations, Quiverfull followers are increasingly eschewing the medical establishment, opting to leave childbirth to God. The recent death of a newborn, however, exposes a growing rift between the most zealous opponents of intervention and those open to some assistance.
John Calvin at 500: From Theocrats to Marxists, Calvin’s Vision of Joy and Cruelty Left Complex Legacy
What is Calvin’s legacy today? For most, he evokes the most stern and punitive theology of groups like the Puritans, but the reality is far more complex and the legacy more far reaching. In this personal recollection, scholar Paula Cooey recalls wrestling with his vision of joy and cruelty in equal measure, noting that, in alongside his rigid and capitalistic descendants, sits a left-wing legacy among radical LGBT activists and some Marxists.
Rage Against the Regime: Voices from the Iranian Underground Music Scene
Iran’s Green Revolt is about freedom and democracy, sure. But it usually has to take form in a particular issue or, as in the case of a growing portion of Iran’s youth, in song. Meet the resistance in the form of the underground music scene.
French President Sarkozy declared recently that the burqa “will not be welcome on our territory,” as it is a symbol of the enslavement of women. If the president is trying to foster equality of women, is this the best way to go about it?
Teaching the Dalai Lama’s Monks: Better Religion Through Science
A scientist/professor in an experimental program teaching science to the Dalai Lama’s monks explains why this project is so much bigger than this one program, bigger even than working to reconcile religion and science. Think: globalization.
Dilemmas of American Empire: Can Obama Pull Off a Game-Changer in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan?
For Obama to steer us back to the softer side of Empire, withdrawing from Iraq and Afghanistan (and negotiating with Iran), he’ll have to overrule his key officials, Hillary Clinton and Dennis Ross, risk alienating Israel for its own good, and stand up to bracing public attacks. And he'll need a hand from a strong, anti-imperial religious and secular peace movement.
Time for Jews to Abandon the Old Foundation Myth of Israel?
Beneath the violence and inability to find peace in Israel/Palestine lie a series of narratives and myths American and Israeli Jews employ to understand the situation. One such narrative has shifted toward hope recently, but does it go deep enough?
Purchasing Morality: What Happens When “Buying Local” Itself is Marketed?
Buying locally reminds us that purchasing is a mythical act that cements us to community in some magical way. But what if the very morality of a “local” act is being marketed in its own right? Is it just as moral to help a Palestinian cultural center build community as it is to buy Cisco products whose ads promise the same?
Undemocratic Republic of Iran: How Did the Hardliners Pull Off a Coup?
What we are witnessing in Iran is a coup against elements of the establishment deemed insufficiently committed to a radical reading of Islam. Unable to handle the messy outcome of democracy is the regime in serious trouble?
From Cairo to the Bible Belt: What US Christianity Must Face for Peace in the Middle East
Obama’s speech marks a radical departure from the prophetically-laden, right-wing rhetoric that cast America and Israel together waiting for Armageddon at the hands of Arab countries. In fact, what if the speech were intended to deconstruct the simplistic mistrust of American Christianity towards Islam?