Podcast: What do Cats Have to do with Interfaith Work?
Toward a Dharmic Model of Chaplaincy in Semitic Settings II: Diversifying the Traditions of a Religious Campus
Open a map or walk through downtown New Haven and observe the roads that crisscross Yale University: Church Street, Chapel Street, Temple Street. These names undoubtedly refer to the Christian spiri... Read More
An Atheist and Obama’s Speeches
President Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech prompted many journalists and academics to examine what perspective(s) the President holds on the ethics of war. Put simply: people won... Read More
My First Sermon: When Miracles Happen to Good People
What is a “miracle” really? Colloquially speaking we tend to associate the word “miracle” with a specific event that is not explainable in natural terms, and the outcome of that event seems to... Read More
Miscarriage and Support
Dealing with death and grief is part of becoming a cleric. But dealing with miscarriages and the accompanying grief is too little discussed in many religious circles. Fortunately, that's beginning to ... Read More
Why A Crucifix Cannot Be A Secular Symbol
Is a menorah no more than an ornate candelabra? Are Tibetan prayer beads little more than a bohemian bracelet? Is a crucifix just a symbol of secular Western values? Shockingly, in a recent decision, ... Read More
The hardest thing in life
I’ve been thinking about the topic of death a lot more than usual lately. Not from a pastoral care role. Not from presiding over funerals. But very personally. Two weeks ago, we put my son Olive... Read More
Normative Inculturation? A Thirteenth–Century Example of the Middle Ground in Relations between the Latin Church and the Church of the East
This paper looks at two thirteenth century accounts, the Itinerarium by the Franciscan William of Rubruck and the Syriac Church of the East text Tashīthā DemārYaballāhā (the History of Mar Yaball... Read More
Psalm 137 and Religious Violence, Part V: Milton’s Allusive Abuse
For Part I of this series, click here; for Part II, click here; for Part III, click here; for Part IV, click here. If Stephen Marshall’s literalism makes his reading of Psalm 137 easy to interpret a... Read More
Book Review: “The Language of Science and Faith” — Important Answers, but Limited Questions
As a future rabbi whose brother is a chemical biologist, I must write any review of a book on Christianity and Darwinism with care and respect for the authors, even as they approach these issues from ... Read More