Category: Community
Point/Counterpoint: Expectations of American Muslim Leaders
as-salam alaykum Aamir, Thank you for your thoughtful reflection, you bring up an important issue, which is one of the biggest challenges facing American Muslims nowadays: getting other Americans t... Read More
I Am So Much More Than a Statistic
People think that a high school drop out, drops out because they get pregnant, or they use drugs, or they lack intelligence, or they are lazy. The fact is, that kids drop out of high school for variou... Read More
Homosexuality: A Microcosmic Electronic Post to a Virtual Wittenberg Church Door
The approach I took in writing this essay might be perceived by some as an ultimatum. I hope my decision to be utterly transparent and painfully honest will be seen as an opportunity for dialogue rath... Read More
Heteronomy and the Inner Lyra: On Not Becoming Ordained
On Thursday, February 23, 2012, I made the most difficult decision of my life: I formally withdrew from the candidacy process for ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). At le... Read More
Crime & Punishment: Are There Evil People?
Why does our current prison system exist? Why do we continue to support a punitive approach that blames the individual rather than putting the bulk of our resources into rehabilitation and reform? Per... Read More
Creating Religious Dialogue in Bangladesh
“Sir, my parents are very interested in your ideas. They want a picture of you.” With this, my student gave me a pair of sunglasses and asked me to pose. For the last three weeks, I have been teac... Read More
On Leaving the Cathedral During the Homily – A Heretic’s Lent
My hands shake as I type this, less than an hour since I walked out of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception during Father So-and-so’s homily. I attend Mass once or twice a month, ... Read More
Expanding Notions of Justice
As I shook his hand, I thanked him for his work and was about to say more when he posed a gentle challenge. “I listened with interest to your presentation,” he said, “especially the part about c... Read More