Podcast: What do Cats Have to do with Interfaith Work?
The Religious Must Stand Up for Atheists
The interfaith movement is beginning to rack up successes. While outbursts of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia (among other expressions of prejudice against religious communities) are nothing new, the g... Read More
Do Only Religious People Have a ‘Calling’?
This post originally appeared on the Huffington Post Religion. In a recent interview with BBC Radio 4, musician Jack White (of the White Stripes and other bands) reflected on his “calling.R... Read More
Religious Leadership and Violence Prevention after Tucson
This month, it became clear that Americans must do more to prevent violence. A congresswoman was shot in the head in what seems to have been a politically motivated assassination attempt – only ... Read More
The Real News Story
Here’s a news headline for you: The trial begins in Phoenix today for Faleh Hassan Almaleki, the Iraqi immigrant accused of killing his daughter for becoming too Westernized. The prosecution’s arg... Read More
Contemplation, Introspection, Removal, Denial, Monk-Rock, et al.
I feel compelled to write about contemplation. I am so compelled because the room that I now occupy reminds me too much of a monk’s cell to not write about contemplation. I’m at Andover Ne... Read More
Dynamic Stillness
The State of Formation seeks to provide a platform for emerging religious and ethical leaders in formation. But what does it really mean to be in formation? This personal reflection looks at reconcili... Read More
Atheists, Christians, and Fact Fundamentalism
In 1910 Harvard Professor Charles Elliot advocated for a new form of Christianity, a Christianity that would have only one commandment, “love of God expressed in service to others.” At the time, m... Read More
Respecting the Faithful, Respecting Faith – Part 1: Strength in the Face of Despair
In January 1956, Martin Luther King was in despair. His decisions as a civil rights leader in Montgomery, Alabama were being questioned, even by former supporters. He had been receiving anonymous deat... Read More
A Blessing for Tucson (and the rest of us)
Like many of you, I have struggled to figure out how to respond to the travesty in Tucson. I was shocked at the carnage, sickened by the loss of life, and outraged at both the perpetrator and the sy... Read More