Category: Learning
A Baptist Prays The Hail Mary
I am a Baptist, through and through. I feel it closely in my identity, and know the stories well. I can recite to you Walter Shurden’s work on historical Baptist distinctives. I love the story o... Read More
Reflections on Nicholas Black Elk: Constructive Convergence, Appropriation, Inculturation, Syncretism, and Multiple Religious Belonging
Nicholas Black Elk (1866-1950), the Oglala Lakota visionary and son of Crazy Horse’s cousin, has been the subject of both debate and inspiration. Inspiration comes from his alleged appropriation of ... Read More
“Blood in the Soil: Liberating Space, Identity and Farm Workers in the United States” by Patrick Reyes
From the perspective of my parents’ union, I come from a long line of wealthy, middle-class, white Protestant Americans on my mother’s side, and Chicano Catholic farm and manual labor working-clas... Read More
Can a Hare Krishna Have A “Social Gospel?”
Continuing my series on being “A Yogi at Union,” I humbly try to explore how my tradition of bhakti-yoga, or the “Hare Krishna” tradition, acknowledges the struggle for justice... Read More
Food Stamp Challenge: Great! And, Do I Have To?
Over the High Holidays, my rabbi asked our congregation to participate in a week-long Food Stamp Challenge—to limit our food spending to the equivalent of “food stamp” benefits, $31.50 per perso... Read More
On Being with Dying: A Story of Squirrels and Little Girls
At an evening party some friends of mine threw last spring, two friends came up to me and asked for my help with an infant squirrel they’d found in their yard that seemed nearly dead. I quickly foll... Read More
New Atheists on Genesis 1-11 and 19
The New Atheists have repeatedly denounced the Bible as dangerously false, suppressive to scientific inquiry, and promoting problematic or even abhorrent moral values. The Genesis 1-11 and 19 narrativ... Read More
Accessing Mystery through Dialogue
Some of my favorite experiences in graduate school are the periodic instances in which a statement by a professor is greeted with a gasp of surprise from the class. To give a little backdrop, I am cu... Read More