As the government shutdown enters its second week, some religious groups are starting to feel the pinch, and they’re also finding ways to reach out. More than 90 Catholic, evangelical and Protestant leaders have signed a statement rebuking “pro-life” lawmakers for the shutdown, saying they are “appalled that elected officials are pursuing an extreme ideological agenda at the expense of the working poor and vulnerable families” who won’t receive government benefits. Starting Wednesday, evangelical, Catholic and mainline Protestant leaders will... Read more

by Andre E. Johnson R3 Editor   The study of African American religion is enjoying a renewed resurgence as of late. Many in the area of religious studies have embarked upon the African American religious phenomenon producing works in theology, ethics, preaching, and the Black Church. However, what have also contributed to the offerings within this ever-expanding field are scholars of other disciplines writing on the subject of African American religion and spirituality. Scholars in various different fields of study—anthropology... Read more

by Stacy Dandridge R3 Contributor *This is the first of two parts In March 2010 President Barack Obama made history. After two years in office he passed a new healthcare bill that would seek to change the course of America’s healthcare system. The new bill proposed to make healthcare more affordable for the uninsured as well as more obtainable by those with pre-existing conditions. Though history has been made, the antics continue in 2013 as many politicians plot to repeal the... Read more

R3 Contributor Gee Joyner recently published a new book, He Talk White: The Scholarly and Artistic Works of a Writer. An anthology of sorts, Joyner’s text deconstructs the negative depiction of African Americans in mass media while reconstructing what it means to be Black in America in the 21st century. A collection of op-ed pieces, scholarly essays, and a short story of fiction, “He Talk White” is sure to evoke thought and dialogue concerning the conundrum of race, as well... Read more

by Cedrick Von Jackson R3 Contributor Under federal law, a riot is a public disturbance involving an act of violence by one or more persons assembled in a group of at least three people.  Inciting a riot applies to a person who organizes, encourages, or participates in a riot.  It can apply to one who urges or instigates others to riot.  According to 18 USCS § 2102 “to incite a riot”, or “to organize, promote, encourage, participate in, or carry... Read more

Twenty first century readers of the Scriptures are likely uncomfortable with the book of Lamentations and its stories of weeping, groaning, and grieving. But, the act of lamenting is not unique to biblical Israelites.  Today’s world is full of lament-worthy situations.  One need only turn on the nightly news to hear countless stories from places like Detroit, Michigan and Camden, New Jersey – plagued by record foreclosures, abandoned buildings, corrupt government officials, and boarded up businesses – to understand the... Read more

To all my nonbelieving, sort-of-believing, and used-to-be-believing friends: I feel like I should begin with a confession. I am sorry that so often the biggest obstacle to God has been Christians. Christians who have had so much to say with our mouths and so little to show with our lives. I am sorry that so often we have forgotten the Christ of our Christianity. Forgive us. Forgive us for the embarrassing things we have done in the name of God. The... Read more

We are at a moment in history where it is clear that new religions are going to be created in a big way. The growing 20 percent of Americans with no religious affiliation may not want new religions, but the existence of such a huge market of potential converts to something other than the traditional choices guarantees that people will be inventing new religions to win these converts like never before. The last 80 years have been unprecedented in humanity’s... Read more

I sometimes remark to friends that I must be the only Christian in the world who participates in three or four Passover seders a year. Even active Jews don’t attend so many. Why would they, after all, unless they’re working, as my wife often is—leading them. My wife is a rabbi, and when I’m at a seder, I am gathering together with my primary congregation, even though I’m not Jewish. The other reason why I attend seders is that I... Read more

American Jews overwhelmingly say they are proud to be Jewish and have a strong sense of belonging to the Jewish people, according to a major new survey by the Pew Research Center. But the survey also suggests that Jewish identity is changing in America, where one-in-five Jews (22%) now describe themselves as having no religion. The percentage of U.S. adults who say they are Jewish when asked about their religion has declined by about half since the late 1950s and... Read more