Category: Social Issues
First Fruits: A Theology of Privilege
Temple service once included the practice of bringing bikkurim to the temple—the first fruits that grow from the land of Israel, the land that the Holy One promised our ancestors. These bikkurim are... Read More
Who Sets the Table? White-Christian Dominance of Interfaith Gatherings
My home church recently hosted a summer-long series of guest speakers under the theme “Expanding Our Faith.” Eager to gain insights from other religious traditions, we invited a rabbi, an imam, a ... Read More
When a rabbinical student says Kaddish for his non-Jewish parents…
Having grown up in the Catholic faith, death, dying, and mourning were always such surreal experiences. Although one begs to ask, what isn’t surreal about the entire process for anyone? It always fe... Read More
Indianapolis Festival of Faiths
This past Sunday, I had the great honor of representing Christian Theological Seminary at the Indianapolis Festival of Faiths. The Festival of Faiths is one of my favorite events of the year. Attendee... Read More
A Study in Contrasts: Israel and Palestine
Abigail recently returned from a two-week-long Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East (UUJME) human rights delegation to Israel and Palestine. UUJME’s mission is “to promote peace... Read More
Excerpt From A Toronto Encounter: To Park Or Not To Park?
A few weeks ago, while vising friends in Toronto, we ended up in downtown. Toronto’s downtown core, like other metropolitan cities, has very limited parking spots, and those that are available in lo... Read More
The Limits of Compassionate Action
Forget what I was going to write. Forget everything, but the boy on the beach, the boots of the Turkish police standing over his body, arms lifting him up. Isn’t this why we have faith? Sometime... Read More
“Right View” and Interfaith Dialogue
One “fold” on the Buddhist Noble Eightfold Path toward enlightenment is Right View. “Right view” is the skill of dissolving interpretations in favor of drawing closer to the reality of the wor... Read More