Category: Social Issues
Interfaith in a Technological World
Last week, I read an opinion piece in the New York Times by Jonathan Safran Foer titled “How Not to Be Alone.” In it, Foer discusses some of the ramifications of the recent developments in technol... Read More
Living Soil
I was learning about compost. I’d never composted before, but a member of the church I serve informed me it was simple and that we should start a composting program at the church. I took him to ... Read More
“The Libyan Revelation: Why Recent Events in Libya Should Revolutionize America’s Approach to the Muslim World” by Christopher C. Smith
On September 11, 2012, some fifty masked and heavily armed Islamists attacked an American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. The compound’s staff was evacuated to another facility, but that fac... Read More
A Female Future Dalai Lama? What Are the Real Prospects?
As a Buddhist clergy, 25-year student of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (HHDL), and female feminist, I always welcome statements from HH highlighting the social position of women, such as those repo... Read More
Virtue is its Own Reward: Why Michael Pollan’s “Cooked” is a Religious Text
After perhaps my 20th snide comment about something in "Cooked" that annoyed me, my fiancee asked me if I would please shut up and allow her to enjoy her food porn. This is an entirely reasonable req... Read More
Public Piety, Authentic Courage and Christian Witness
You may have heard about the young man, a valedictorian in Liberty, SC. I’ve been following the story somewhat closely, because it’s close to home in more than one way. More abstractly, is... Read More
“Recognizing a Saint: The Politics of Identity within the Canonization of Kateri Tekakwitha,” by Erin Routon
In 2006, a young boy in Washington State named Jake Finkbonner was playing basketball when he hit his face on the rim. As a result of that injury, Jake caught a flesh-eating bacteria that nearly too... Read More
Trust, Fear and London
The problem with trust, of course, is that it involves vulnerability. By trusting, we risk getting hurt. Yet I have come to realise that failing to trust risks far more harm. I live in the hustle and ... Read More