Category: Social Issues
Voting Privacy: Some Considerations
As I browsed through Facebook statuses this afternoon, I saw a new status that appeared to be going viral among people who are blind. It said, “One thing I take pride in is that my vote is priva... Read More
How important is the election: global power or people power?
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel stirs her coffee as British Prime Minister David Cameron passes around a plate of cupcakes. Barack Obama looks up from his notes, smiles and says, “We’ve all ag... Read More
The Spirituality of Phone Banking by Martha Schwehn
I have heard it said that church basements are the places where things really get done, where budgets and outreach strategies are birthed after long and tedious meetings, where soup kitchens and quilt... Read More
Tibet and China: Dharma-centric Societies at Odds by Jai Mirchandani
Entrance of Buddhism into China and Tibet In the lands of both the Tibetan plateau and Chinese hinterlands, the foreign-born religion of the Dhammapada, the teachings of the Buddha, lies at the crux ... Read More
The Ballot as Daily Bread: Voting No on Voter ID
Every Sunday, right before we receive Holy Communion, I pray the Lord’s Prayer with my church. In general, I think it’s hard to pray in a humble and honest way during an antagonisti... Read More
Theology of the Body, Episode I: The Orans Gesture in Christian Prayer
This is the first installment in an ongoing series that will explore issues in spirituality through a review of significant symbolic motions, poses, and gestures from a variety of religious traditions... 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
Jesus, The Bible, and Foodstamps: Can a Christian Be Against The Welfare State?
Conservative and liberal Christians disagree about a lot of things, but I think the two camps are basically in agreement when it comes to the morality of social safety net programs like TANF (Temporar... Read More