When the Philadelphia framers unveiled their proposed Constitution 225 years ago—September 17 will mark the official anniversary—most Americans were white Protestants. Anti-Catholicism ran deep, no Jews held high office, most blacks were enslaved, and the Church of Latter Day Saints did not even exist. Today, while America remains predominantly white and protestant, no white Protestant sits on the Supreme Court, which consists of five white Catholics, three white Jews, and one black Catholic. Among the four leading men now in... Read more

Reading the lives of the saints often raises our expectations, we read of someone transfigured with light, or someone who is present in two places at once, we read beautiful descriptions of the inner life of an awareness of our union with God, a clarity in regard to the nature of all things.And in comparison our own religious experience will seem sterile, a voice crying out in the wilderness met with stony silence. For some such comparisons can lead to... Read more

Culture and entertainment are so inextricably linked that oftentimes touchier subjects like religion are danced around but never truly confronted. CSULB associate professor Dr. Ebony Utley has every intention of blasting some of those reservations apart with her new book, Rap and Religion: Understanding the Gangsta’s God. In the book, Utley tackles two subjects that are heavily linked yet seldom talked about: rap and religion. Specifically, Utley says, “How and why rappers talk about God,” an idea that stems from... Read more

The arrest and conviction of Pussy Riot on charges of hooliganism fits into a broader context of Russian cultural history and political structure. Pussy Riot’s conviction is yet another example of the collaboration between church and state typical of Russian history, aimed to increase Putin’s power. Russian culture and political structure have always lagged behind the benchmarks set by the neighbors to the West (and sometimes by those in the East). For over a decade, the Putin regime has governed... Read more

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A combative, chain-smoking pixie on the wrong side of history is the not the typical profile of a saint, yet this is how Pauli Murray described herself. Last month the Episcopal Church admitted Murray to the pantheon of “Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints” in honor of her efforts toward “the universal cause of freedom.” The first African American woman ordained an Episcopal priest, Pauli Murray (1910-1985) was so much more. Lawyer, poet, memoirist, polemicist, expat constitutional law professor... Read more

Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t emerge on the civil rights scene fully formed but drew from a rich spiritual and intellectual heritage that he owed, in part, to his mentor, the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays. Mays served as president of Morehouse College in Atlanta for 27 years and delivered the eulogy at King’s funeral. In the first full-length biography of Mays, Dr. Randal M. Jelks, associate professor of American and African American studies at the University of Kansas, provides... Read more

I wish I could be one of those women who giggles and changes the subject when a man I don’t know that well says something idiotic. Don’t get me wrong, I’m can pull off the giggle-redirect with incredible charm when I need to. But most of the time, I’d rather counter idiocy with sarcasm and a wink. Often this changes the subject, lightens the mood, and the idiotic comments cease. But the giggle-redirect almost never works on men who are... Read more

by Earle Fisher R3 Contributor When the President made his stance regarding Same Sex Marriage I feared that there would be a certain backlash from a contingency within the black church.  What I didn’t prepare for, however, was the media’s local and national recapitulation of the black preacher, church and community being consistent with the stance of a particular segment.  If one is novice or untrained regarding the particularities and diversity of the black faith experience it may be easy... Read more

For a while, I’ve been wanting to write an entry about English Bible translations. There are so many to choose from. Actually, if you do not read Hebrew and/or Greek, it is good for you to have a number of good translations from a variety of traditions. Some of the variations between translations might tip you off to what is going on in the Biblical language text. What is a good translation? My criteria are that the translation represents recent... Read more