In the category of News of the Obvious, Madonna declared that her Rebel Heart tour, which kicks off in Canada on September 9, will focus on sexuality and religion: “I’m very immersed in deconstructing the concept of sexuality and religion and how it’s not supposed to go together, but in my world it goes together.” When has Madonna ever NOT been deconstructing sexuality and religion? She writhed onstage at the 1984 Video Music Awards in a white wedding gown. She... Read more
When I first heard about Pope Francis’ offer of forgiveness for women who had had abortions, provided they were “with contrite heart,” during the upcoming Holy Year of Mercy (starting December 8), my first thoughts were: What if a woman isn’t contrite? What if she knows it was the right decision for her? What if she is unapologetic? Compassion and mercy are lovely when offered; and I believe to be the intent of the pope’s statement to be compassionate. However, it presumes an... Read more
We have a new voice joining the work of writing and moving toward justice at Patheos. Rebecca Todd Peters is now blogging over at To Do Justice. She’s a feminist Christian social ethicist who says “it is my fervent hope to think with you about what it means to live faithfully as a Progressive Christian in the world today. Seeking ‘to do justice’ is how I understand my Christian calling in the world.” I first met Toddie three years ago when we both... Read more
Today I’m speaking on the Faith and Equality Issues Panel at the Equality Institute, hosted by Equality Illinois in partnership with several other justice-oriented organizations in the state. The mission of Equality Illinois is to “build a better Illinois by advancing equal treatment and social justice through education, advocacy and protection of the rights of the LGBT community.” They do this through focused work to lobby local, state, and federal lawmakers, educate communities about justice issues, and elect more candidates... Read more
I wrote the following piece which was first published in the Jacksonville Journal-Courier, my local newspaper, last week. When I saw a cluster of white police officers marching up to my neighbor’s house in military fatigues and helmets with large guns at the ready, my first instinct was to grab my camera and take a picture out the kitchen window. I started shooting video as they entered the house, ran around the back, and shepherded the small children who had... Read more
My friend and colleague Rev. Jann Aldredge-Clanton has just published a new book titled Earth Transformed with Music! Inclusive Songs for Worship. I’ve written about and shared some of her work here on this blog before. I asked Jann a few questions about her new book. 1. Tell us why you put together this collection of hymns. Music has great power to touch the heart and change the world. Words we sing in worship shape our beliefs and actions. They... Read more
This will be the first fall since I was three years old that I will not be a student or be starting school. I have the great gift of being on sabbatical from teaching this coming academic year, with time for writing, reading, speaking, travelling, and so many other things. Because of that, I spent parts of the past two weeks leading a workshop on vocation for staff and faculty at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as a result of... Read more
Four women outside the entrance to Union Station, lingering in the cool breeze on a sunny summer day. Two women perched behind displays of brochures: “Do You Know Jesus?” and “What About Your Afterlife?” query passersby. One women in hijab, her religiosity also on display, watching the same crowd of travelers coming and going from their trains, sitting on a stone ledge opposite The other woman next to her on the stone ledge, head full of talk about interfaith understanding,... Read more
Amidst conservative Christian fervor over religious freedom, it’s important to remember what real threats to religious freedom in the U.S. look like. A news item getting little attention is currently unfolding in Texas: “A proposal to bring a Muslim cemetery to a rural North Texas town has stoked fears among residents who are trying to convince community leaders to block the project. Farmersville is considering a 35-acre development request from the Islamic Association of Collin County. Residents showed up in force at... Read more
After dismissing the edited videos that pretend to catch Planned Parenthood staffers in a compromising position, Jay Michaelson takes on the issue of fetal tissue donation and points out: “Nearly 20 years ago, the Conservative movement, then the largest movement in American Judaism, ruled that not only is organ donation permitted — it is religiously required. The Jewish-legal issues regarding the use of fetal tissue for stem cell research are more complicated, but many rabbis believe the obligation to be similar. So, yes, in... Read more
Caryn Riswold
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