Tag: politics
When an Olympic Ring Blinked
I am in love with the four Olympic rings. I am in love, in particular, with the one that did not open, last Friday, during the opening ceremonies in Sochi, Russia. That closed ring shows the incomplet... Read More
Why I will not apply for the Council on Foreign Relations’s “Religion and Foreign Policy Bulletin”
State of Formation recently announced that it would nominate its Contributing Scholars to be featured in the Council on Foreign Relation’s “Religion and Foreign Policy Bulletin.” This is a great... Read More
‘Nothing is Secret from You’ – A Jewish Objection to Government Surveillance
Each day, in the siddur, the Jewish prayer book, I read a small prayer authored by the 3rd century Babylonian sage Rav. In a discussion of what Jews need to say when we confess, Rav writes the follow... Read More
Work and Witness: The Role of Faith Communities in Working-Class America
Rob is a twenty-six year old white male who lives in Massachusetts. After graduating from vocational high school, he hoped to build a career in manufacturing technology and carpentry. But as soon as h... Read More
Storytime for Congress
The government shutdown drags on. Watching Congress’ continued “incredible ineptitude,” as the United Methodist Women have called it, with increasing frustration, incredulity, and a sense of pow... Read More
On Teaching Religion at a Humanist School in a Christian Nation
At Kasese Humanist Primary School (KHPS) in Kasese, Uganda I have been assigned to teach English and Religious Education for the month I am volunteering here. This is a natural assignment. My BA is i... Read More
Secularism and Pluralism: Two Movements for Equality
As a humanist working in multifaith education, I sometimes feel tension between secularism and pluralism. Much of the new atheist movement is aimed at instituting and enforcing secularism in our commu... Read More
Reza Aslan’s Jesus
Reza Aslan has a remarkable ability to make ancient stories come alive. I have assigned his earlier books, No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam and Beyond Fundamentalism, in und... Read More