By Todd Green Yes. There’s no use in beating around the bush. Whether one firmly believes that Christianity alone contains Truth with a capital “T,” or thinks that God’s nature or existence is a settled matter, there is always the possibility that the academic study of religion will rattle the foundations of one’s faith. Religion courses, indeed, can be hazardous to one’s spiritual health. We religion professors are aware of these risks. We are also aware that on many college... Read more
By Jacob Lupfer World Vision USA, a Christian relief agency that raises and spends $1 billion a year, shocked American Christianity last week by announcing that it would employ Christians in same sex marriages. World Vision’s international umbrella organization has a federated model allowing national affiliates some discretion over personnel policies. In Canada and New Zealand, for instance, World Vision does not discriminate in hiring. Appealing to evangelical (particularly Baptist) distinctives like liberty of the conscience and autonomy of the local church, World Vision USA President... Read more
By Abdeali Ujjainwalla I refer to Shireen Hamza’s piece on 5 March 2013, and Aziz Poonawalla’s response on 7 March 2014. As I know neither Shireen nor Aziz, my riposte to both of them is a dispassionate one. I am however a Dawoodi Bohra follower of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin Saheb. I would also like to think that I am as intellectual as Aziz with a doctorate in political science, and slightly older than Shireen being in my early 30s. I... Read more
By Shireen Hamza A schism has occurred in my religious community. Of the many reasons I could have imagined a Muslim, American college student might find herself socially boycotted by some of her Muslim peers, this was not one of them. In the past two weeks, my grief over the loss of my religious leader, Dr. Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin, was compounded by the loss of most of my childhood friends, and all of my classmates from the seminary I used... Read more
By Vamsee Juluri Imagine this: A book called The Women, written by a man who claims to be an expert on women. A book called The Poor, written by a millionaire who read a few books on poverty (written mostly by other rich people). A book called The Gays, written by a heterosexual who insists he loves them even if his subjects say he is quite homophobic. Now consider a book called The Hindus. It is written not by someone... Read more
By John J. Smid My heart is grieving today for all of the men and women who have spent the majority of their lives praying, seeking, and hoping for deliverance from their homosexual attractions. For over four decades there has been a faulty message conveyed that people can change. A deceptive message that most often caused many to believe that they could experience a change in sexual orientation from gay to straight. Begging at the altars of their churches, praying... Read more
By Shalom Goldman, Duke University American Jews have long struggled with the Christmas Season. It may not be our holiday, many Jews have felt, but it is after all a great American holiday. How then are we to relate to it? For more traditional Jews, the national Christmas celebration generates anxiety about their place in the American religious landscape. In the second half of the 20th century, as Jews became more assimilated to American society, that anxiety was reduced in two... Read more
By Harleen Kaur This past Saturday, a man that I look up to and respect deeply was attacked while going for a walk with a friend in Harlem. I met Dr. Prabhjot Singh, a professor at Columbia University, and his family this summer while I was interning in New York City. Although I was only there for a couple months, the love and compassion with which he and his wife treated me was moving. The two of them were always... Read more
By Shalom Goldman, Duke University Johnny Cash died on September 12, 2003, and as we approach the tenth anniversary of his death, his reputation as an American musical master seems only to grow. His recordings continue to sell briskly, particularly the Bootleg items released by Columbia Records. When I mentioned him to the college freshmen in my classes, who were born in 1994-5, they all knew Cash’s music. Many had seen the 2005 film about Cash, Walk the Line. That... Read more
by Shalom Goldman, Duke University Throughout the world sports fans can be roused to emotional extremes of enthusiasm, euphoria, and despair that seem almost religious in nature. The only other public manifestation of emotion that comes close to sports in its intensity is at rock and roll concerts—and these concerts are increasingly held in sports stadiums. Also, more and more American sports greats are willing and eager to speak publicly about their Evangelical Christian commitments. These players on U.S. baseball,... Read more
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