It happens regularly … a student comes into my office, stops and looks around, says: “So many books!” I usually smile, and say, “of course … it’s my job.” That’s only partially true, of course, since as a college professor, the students are my job. Actually, introducing the students to the books is most precisely my job. If I can make that a long-lasting relationship, I count it a job well done. So I read a lot. I write a... Read more
I’ve never understood the appeal of haunted houses or roller coasters or scary movies. I don’t enjoy being afraid and can’t imagine how it can be a form of entertainment. I vividly remember being terrified at haunted houses as a child, and demanding at one that they let me out before the end because it was not fun. It made me cry. I felt awful. People like this kind of thing? As a grown-up, of course, I can just avoid... Read more
Many good people live and work at the intersections, and I occasionally invite someone to tell a story from where they stand. Today’s piece comes from Rev. Jann Aldredge-Clanton, whose musical work I have shared on this blog from time to time over the years. Jann is an ordained minister, author, teacher, and chaplain. She currently serves as adjunct professor at Perkins School of Theology and Richland Community College, Dallas, Texas. A native of Louisiana, Jann received the B.A. degree from Louisiana... Read more
I read former President Jimmy Carter’s latest book this summer in preparation for today. The 90-year-old is speaking on my campus today alongside Khalaf Al Habtoor, a major benefactor of the college, and former U.S. Representative from Jacksonville, Illinois, Paul Findley. A major campus initiative titled Pathways to Peace is being announced, and the college’s archives named after Dr. Al Habtoor and funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities were dedicated yesterday. My colleagues... Read more
My lack of blog posting over the past few weeks can partially be attributed to the fact that I was travelling to, speaking at, and otherwise participating in two great conference events. Luckily, other folks put together great Storify summaries of these events. First, I attended the Vanguard Campus Convening with staff from the Interfaith Youth Core, in conjunction with the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge organized by the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Partnerships.... Read more
This weekend I’m travelling to Washington, D.C., to attend The President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge, along with the preceding convening of the Vanguard Interfaith Campus Network. The Interfaith Youth Core is the connection point here, working with colleges and universities around the country on integrating interreligious cooperation, interfaith dialogue, community service, and work for justice into curricular efforts as well as co-curricular experiences for students. I’ll be speaking on two panels about several of the initiatives taking place... Read more
Father Roy Bourgeois is speaking on my campus tonight, and I’m thrilled to be having dinner with him before the event. The event tonight and one tomorrow in Springfield, Illinois, are being co-sponsored by Call to Action, the college, Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation, and Holy Family Inclusive Catholic Community, a new church in town I have written about here before. Here is an excerpt from Father Roy’s 2013 op-ed in The New York Times after his excommunication from the priesthood.... Read more
I wrote this piece in response to events in the Illinois town where I live, and it was first published in the Jacksonville Journal-Courier on September 10, 2014: Abandonment used to be a regular form of family planning — leaving a newborn out in the elements where she or he would likely die from exposure if not found quickly by a passerby. It’s a horrible thing to consider that the news of a newborn baby found in a Dumpster in... Read more
In his newest book, postChristian, fellow Patheos blogger Christian Piatt takes up some important questions about Christianity in the 21st century: Because Christianity “is not what it should be, what it claims to be,” Piatt asks: What’s left? Can we fix it? Do we care? He frames his reflections on these subtitle questions using seven vices (deadly sins, if you will) and seven virtues associated with the tradition, suggesting in part that for each vice and scandal that humans living... Read more
Consider this: George Fox University decided that references to sex in Title IX don’t include gender identity. The Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education says it does. Hobby Lobby owners decided that IUD’s are abortifacients. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology says they are not. On what basis did the private Christian university and the incorporated craft store make their requests for exemption to federal law? Not better science or better sociology; Because religion. I ask: ... Read more
Caryn Riswold
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