Category: Popular Culture
Is Biblical Literacy Really the Problem?
If you’ve listened to NPR or read blogs like this one over the past six months, you’ve probably heard something about the Pew Forum’s latest study on religious practice in America. The survey co... Read More
The Election of the New Hope: Dispatch from Rome
Last night I went to Saint Peter’s Square in Rome. I hoped to to see the black smoke of the papal conclave. I figured the dark puff would roil out from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel and the sorr... Read More
Caritas de libertati: A People of Hope
Surely you’ve heard the Good News: We Have a Pope. What do you make of it all? So far I’ve heard many different opinions on the matter. Some are excited, but I would say a large majority o... Read More
The Nones, the Unaffiliated, the SBNR, and Those Who Serve Them
It is time to stop referring to the collective numbers that Pew Research is so famous for when we talk about the “nones.” Yes, on January 9th, USAToday did run a graphic on the front page of i... Read More
Losing Your Religion? Keep the Faith!
In Terence Nichol’s 2003 book The Sacred Cosmos: Christian Faith and the Challenge of Naturalism he begins with an anecdote where two sets of Catholic children are asked the question “Wher... Read More
The Megaphone of Money in American Politics
While the sums are larger and the stakes are higher in recent times, the fear that money corrupts those in power is an age-old issue. As far back as the Hebrew Bible those concerned with justice warne... Read More
#King: Who’s the Man with the Master Plan?
April 26th, 1992: there was a riot on the streets. Tell me, where were you? You were sitting home watching your TV… while I was participating in some anarchy. – Sublime – I had only ... Read More
CE or not CE? Rethinking the Way We Number Years
As we turn the year from Dragon to Snake in the Chinese calendar, it might be a good time to reflect on how we name years. Specifically, Western academic types might want to revisit the practice of ... Read More