Category: Challenges
Did Religious Extremism Kill Vittorio Arrigoni?
Last week, human rights activist Vittorio Arrigoni was murdered in Gaza. Found strangled in an abandoned home, Vittorio was an outspoken humanitarian and peacemaker since arriving in Gaza in 2009 on ... Read More
New Beginnings: Fear and Hope
This post (the first of two) reflects on the fears and hopes that mark new beginnings. What is there to fear for a Christian on Easter morning? What is there to fear for a parent of a newborn child? W... Read More
Crossroads
I was in a meeting with my supervisor last week, moving steadily through a list of agenda items. Reflect on five year celebration. Check. Discuss plans for upcoming program review. Check. Share dismay... Read More
On the Process of Becoming – A Passover Reflection
In his commentary on Passover the 19th century Hasidic rebbe the Sefat Emet comments on verse from Numbers 15:41 traditionally read as “I took you out of the land of Egypt to be for you a Gd.” Tra... Read More
Toward a Dharmic Model of Chaplaincy in Semitic Settings II: Diversifying the Traditions of a Religious Campus
Open a map or walk through downtown New Haven and observe the roads that crisscross Yale University: Church Street, Chapel Street, Temple Street. These names undoubtedly refer to the Christian spiri... Read More
An Atheist and Obama’s Speeches
President Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech prompted many journalists and academics to examine what perspective(s) the President holds on the ethics of war. Put simply: people won... Read More
Miscarriage and Support
Dealing with death and grief is part of becoming a cleric. But dealing with miscarriages and the accompanying grief is too little discussed in many religious circles. Fortunately, that's beginning to ... Read More
Why A Crucifix Cannot Be A Secular Symbol
Is a menorah no more than an ornate candelabra? Are Tibetan prayer beads little more than a bohemian bracelet? Is a crucifix just a symbol of secular Western values? Shockingly, in a recent decision, ... Read More