A sweet spirit is in the air as our 97th Annual Alumni Convocation quickly approaches. As a member of the Howard University School of Divinity community, you are invited to attend the 97th Annual Alumni Convocation to be held on Wednesday, October 16, 2013 and Thursday, October 17, 2013 in the Howard Thurman Chapel. On Wednesday, October 16 at 5:30 pm, come hear from Jonathan L. Walton, Ph.D., Harvard Divinity School’s Plummer Professor of Christian Morals, Pusey Minister in Harvard’s Memorial... Read more

Here are the top five posts from Rhetoric Race and Religion this week. To contribute to R3, click here. Number 1 When God Says No: Part 3 by Paula Penn-Nabrit R3 Contributor *This is the third of a three part series. Read parts 1 and 2   God said “No” to my prayers for CMadison’s healing and I am not happy about it. And silly, simplistic bromides referencing Job 42:10 out of context, the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before aren’t helpful. As anyone... Read more

I understand the delusional thinking leading to the potential government shutdown. I understand it from the from the inside and better than the editors of the New York Times do. See, they leave God out of the equation. Rational people just don’t “get” holy war. I’ve spent the last twenty-five years writing my way out of my false past certainties. My latest attempt to explain myself to myself is my book about religious delusion: And God Said, “Billy!” Yet in spite of the therapy of... Read more

On the eve of our government shutdown, I wanted to do some research into the theological roots of Senator Ted Cruz, the standard-bearer of the Tea Party Republicans behind the shutdown. I’m interested in understanding what account of Christianity creates the “no compromise” crusade that the Tea Party has become known for. It turns out that Ted’s father, Rafael Cruz, is a pastor with Texas charismatic ministry Purifying Fire International who has been campaigning against Obamacare the last several months. He has... Read more

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There is something extraordinarily dangerous and ugly at the heart of American life: literalistic religion. There is something extraordinarily beautiful and enlightening at the heart of American life: literalistic religion. Now there is a movie that explores this paradox: what’s uniquely best about America — religious freedom — is also our continuous downfall. I’m an author and commentator not a journalist. So it’s not often I get the pleasure of stumbling on what’s called a “scoop.” This time I’m beating the... Read more

I am filled with optimism about the future of liberal religion in America. It is not fashionable to hold this view. In both the Jewish and the Christian world, conventional wisdom affirms that the liberal religious groupings are in crisis: Their numbers are falling, their institutions are in decline, their birthrates are low, etc. Don’t believe it. Heaven knows that there are multiple problems that afflict liberal denominations of all faiths–although one should not think for a moment that all... Read more

by Paula Penn-Nabrit R3 Contributor *This is the third of a three part series. Read parts 1 and 2   God said “No” to my prayers for CMadison’s healing and I am not happy about it. And silly, simplistic bromides referencing Job 42:10 out of context, the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before aren’t helpful. As anyone who has ever suffered the death of a loved one will tell you, that person cannot be replaced-you can’t even replace a... Read more

Hispanics living in the United States are now increasingly evangelical Protestants or religiously unaffiliated as the number of Catholics among them declines, according to a national survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute. While Catholic affiliation has dropped by 16 percentage points (a reported 69 percent Catholic identification among Hispanics during childhood compared to only 53 percent identifying the same as adults today), evangelical Protestant affiliation has increased by six percentage points in the same period to 13 percent today.... Read more

“The Black church” is shorthand for the vast network of racial-ethnic communities of Christian faith, worship, and life born out of and informed by the historic and present day experiences of people of African descent in the United States. The Black church is a sacred and social movement, representing communities of faith and, at its best, arenas of change. In oppressions affecting Black children, women, and men, Black churches have access to liberative and holistic resources and to reconciling potential,... Read more