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Senator Ted Kennedy: A Catholic We Could Canonize
Though he was never one to wear his religion on his sleeve, Sen. Kennedy’s liberal record of working for social justice falls squarely within the Catholic tradition.
On the ELCA’s Historic Shift to Include Gay Clergy: Reflections of a Self-Exiled Lutheran
Reflecting with mixed emotions his decision to leave the church of his childhood over its inability to accept gays, the author recalls his own words, that “Scripture calls us to look beyond Scripture, to God and to our neighbor,” and wonders whether he should return to the church; indeed, whether such a thing is possible.
Afghan Idol: Can a Talent Competition Save a Nation?
An interview with the director of Afghan Star, a documentary that follows a tense but cathartic talent competition.
Ryan-DeLauro’s Common Ground on Abortion is in Religious Territory
This week’s rollout of a congressional bill in support of abortion reduction has been given the blessing of religious leaders from across the spectrum; a rare show of agreement over one of the most contentious issues in American society. But what does it mean that religion has played such an important role in this conflict?
Episcopal Church Walks with American Clergy on Gay and Lesbian Equality
Despite worldwide calls from conservative Anglicans that the American church is choosing to “walk apart” from the wider community, the numbers don't agree—at least not in America.
Is Obama the Antichrist? Why Armageddon Stands Between the President and the Evangelical Vote
While the president has reached out to the faithful, he has yet to realize that he is dealing with a countercultural movement that at its foundation is obsessed with the apocalypse. But he will know it soon enough as evangelical interpretations of the Bible point to Barack Obama as the Antichrist.
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.
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.
Michael Jackson, Perfect “God” for the Media Age
Was Michael Jackson a supernatural magician or an icon of self-immolation? Both? The physical body is gone, the musical productivity has ceased, the capacity to speak for himself is no more, so now MJ is a wonderfully ambiguous figment of our imagination. Three religion scholars discuss the life, legend, meaning, and myth of one of the world's most talented, successful, and perhaps tortured performers.
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?
RDPulpit: Is Barack Obama a “Fierce Advocate” For Gays or Just Pragmatist-in-Chief?
The Obama administration has gone from indifference to actively promoting religious opposition to the civil rights of gay Americans, comparing same-sex marriage to incest and pedophilia. Only when “pink dollars” were pulled did the president approach the LGBT community. A former priest suggests how to make Obama listen.
Sacred&Profane: On Sexual Diversity, Perversity, and Ecstasy
Can a man have multiple wives? Do different positions bear spiritual fruit? What is the meaning of orgasm? Religious traditions thrive on intimacy with and access to the body, its experience of suffering, sorrow, and sickness, as well as rapture, delight, and bliss. A romp through America’s favorite, most taboo subject.
Obama Threaded the Moral Needle of Latino Evangelicals in ’08
Obama won, in part, by flipping the vote of Latino evangelicals back from their support of Republicans in ’00 and ’04. This switch, argues Prof. Gastón Espinosa, is due to a combination of targeted and aggressive outreach to evangelicals, the candidate’s ability to talk about his faith, and a compromise on the abortion and gay rights issues.
Respectability and Its Discontents: Missing the Louche, Loud, and Lovely World of Sexual Outlawry
In this meditation on the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots an ordained minister, while eulogizing his own outlawry, notes that God’s goodness is evident in the way in which new and seriously maladjusted queer youth are still rising up to bring new energy and edge to the movement.
Stonewall of the “Nones”: The Revolution Won't be Homogenized
What would “a tranny hustler,” peeking through a rip in the stocking of space-time, think of our world 40 years later? What will the next Consciousness Revolution look like?
“Who Will Rid Me of This Troublesome Doctor?”: Bill O’Reilly, King Henry II, and George Tiller
Thomas Becket was murdered at the suggestion of the powerful King Henry II, who then did public penance. Do pundits like Bill O’Reilly, who spoke so hatefully of George Tiller, likewise bear some responsibility for that crime?
Planned Parenthood ‘Stung’ By Lila Rose
Lila Rose, a 20-year-old UCLA student, is taking on Planned Parenthood with a phony story, video equipment, and support from a host of Christian Right media outlets and organizations.
The Best and the Brightest of the Catholic Bad Girls
We picketed bishops and Popes, stole their dresses, stood up at the consecration of the Eucharist and said the words out loud. We are the bad girls of Catholic feminism, and we have stood up, over and over again, for women’s freedom.
Onward Christian Terrorists; Fighting Evil in the Obama Era
Having publicly assured Tiller’s executioner that he acted in “righteousness and mercy,” affable Lutheran pastor Michael Bray, “chaplain” of Christian extremists, spoke with the author a few years back on why America is like Nazi Germany, why it’s okay to kill active abortion providers, and what he means when he says he’s “pro-choice.”