Category: Community
Humanizing Victims of Hate
I can’t stop thinking about hate. I have written a couple of pieces recently about Islamophobia, Sikhophobia, media profiling and hate-crimes, and both of them focus on the murder of Balbir Sing... Read More
The Politics of Movement
Last week Duke University President Richard Brodhead announced that Luke Powery of Princeton Theological Seminary will become the next Dean of Duke Chapel. Like many others who connect to Duke Chapel ... Read More
“Vikings Red with Blood and Dead: White Martyrs and the Conquest of the American Frontier” by David Krueger
Alexandria is a small town in western Minnesota that local residents affectionately refer to as the “Birthplace of America.” This claim is emblazoned on the shield of a twenty-eight-foot fibergl... Read More
Gay Friends and Waffle Fries: Thoughts on Having Both
Last week, Charlie Rogers, a lesbian woman in Nebraska was attacked in her home by three men. They stripped her, tied her up with zip ties, carved words such as “dyke” and other gay-slurs into he... Read More
A Unique Perspective on Hate-Crimes: The Story of a Convicted Killer
Following my recent article on “Islamophobia, Sikhophobia, and Media Profiling,” I received a number of questions from people about hate-speech and hate-crimes. Some people denied that the... Read More![“Death in ten thousand shapes hangs ever over our heads, and no [hu]man can elude him.”](https://i0.wp.com/stateofformation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/IMG_9860-1.jpg?resize=542%2C340&ssl=1)
“Death in ten thousand shapes hangs ever over our heads, and no [hu]man can elude him.”
The quote in the title above is placed on the lips of Sarpedon by Homer in The Iliad (Book 12, lines 326-327, c. 800-850 B.C.E., translated by Samuel Butler, 1898). It reflects the precariousness of l... Read More
Liberty and (Economic) Justice for All
I’ve been rejoicing to witness our US presidential election campaign narrative turning to economics, thanks to a contender with a background in the private equity business (or, vulture capitalis... Read More
Reasons Theism vs. Atheism is a Mostly Silly Issue
Of all the things to which humans ascribe tremendous social and moral worth, the question of whether or not God exists is, to my way of thinking, one of the silliest. It’s silly because it doesn’t... Read More