Podcast: What do Cats Have to do with Interfaith Work?
On Sinat Chinam, Language, and Bridge-building
As I write this, it is erev Tisha b’Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, on which we commemorate a host of tragedies that have befallen us throughout history, primarily the destructions of bo... Read More
A Lament for Justice
I have seen a lot of responses to the recent verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. Many of the responses have expressed outrage, sadness, and a host of other emotions and opinions about this unfortun... Read More
Goodbye and Hello, State of Formation
I remember the afternoon when Chris Stedman and I hopped on a call with Matt Black and Alisa Roadcup, who were then working for the Parliament of the World’s Religions. I was standing in Central Par... Read More
The Thinking Higher Bias: How society’s bias for “thinking higher” does not apply to our spiritual/religious journeys
One of my favorite songs is “Higher and Higher” by the Moshav Band. With only a few lyrics the song emphasizes a single point, or rather a single hope: for our songs (or praise) to get us ... Read More
“Welcoming the ‘Whelps’: A Queer-Allied Reading of Matthew 15:21-28,” by Catie Scudera
Matthew 15:21-28 and its corollary text Mark 7:24-30 take place within a historical context of great turmoil and tragedy for the Jewish people.[1] During Jesus’s time, Pax Romana was in effect, wher... Read More
Kicked Out, A Review: Part Two
This post is a continuation of Kicked Out, A Review: Part One I avoided reading Kicked Out for a long time. I didn’t quite know how it was going to sit with me, based on my own childhood. I was not ... Read More
Kicked Out, A Review: Part One
Pulling together first-person narratives from current and former homeless and kicked-out queer and trans* youth,[1] Sassafras Lowrey’s (Ed.) Kicked Out (Homofactus Press, 2010) is an remarkab... Read More
The Yoga of Ecology at Bluestone Farm
The Yoga of Ecology blog originally began in 2008 as a chronicle of the spiritually inspired agricultural exploits of the Small Farm Training Center project at the New Vrindaban bhakti-yoga commu... Read More
Identity or Value?: On Chris Stedman’s “Faitheist” and Religious Monuments
When a friend gave me blogger Chris Stedman’s new book Faitheist, I was skeptical at first. The quick, attention-grabbing writing that makes for a good blog post or op-ed column can feel flippant an... Read More