Category: Intra-Faith
Can We Talk?
In interfaith circles there is frequently a call for "dialogue" rather than "debate". Is it really possible for those with deeply differing metaphysical commitments to engage in "dialogue", or is the ... Read More
Defamation and Debate: The Conversation Within
The conversation within a faith is painful and challenging because it can feel like a battle for the identity of the faith itself, and by extension, our own identity. It’s easy to think that differe... Read More
What Do Americans Really Believe?
Are mega-churches more intimate than small congregations? Are atheists more superstitious or likely to believe in the paranormal than conservative Christians? Do many Americans believe some "non-relig... Read More
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep
Now I lay me down to sleep; I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake; I pray the Lord my soul to take. I sometimes pray that prayer before I go to sleep. My parents taught it to ... 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
My “Calling” Came from Outside My Religious Community
Everyone tells me that you can find “your calling” — the guiding force and vocation that will define your life — when you sit quietly and really figure out what makes you passi... Read More
Normative Inculturation? A Thirteenth–Century Example of the Middle Ground in Relations between the Latin Church and the Church of the East
This paper looks at two thirteenth century accounts, the Itinerarium by the Franciscan William of Rubruck and the Syriac Church of the East text Tashīthā DemārYaballāhā (the History of Mar Yaball... Read More
Psalm 137 and Religious Violence, Part V: Milton’s Allusive Abuse
For Part I of this series, click here; for Part II, click here; for Part III, click here; for Part IV, click here. If Stephen Marshall’s literalism makes his reading of Psalm 137 easy to interpret a... Read More