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By Crystal St. Marie LewisRhetoric Race and Religion ContributorFrom: Diary of a Christian Universagnosticostal “When you believe something is true, you don’t argue that it’s true… You live as though it’s true.”–Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth I often find myself pulling back when talking about God because I believe words tend to both complicate and over-simplify the Mystery. I know complication and over-simplication are usually mutually exclusive concepts, but I’ve found that this mutual exclusivity doesn’t necessarily apply to our... Read more

While reading Peggy Levitt’s 2009 book on religion and immigration, God Needs No Passport, I was struck by her summary of the four prevailing attitudes towards religion. She describes the academic, well-meaning anti-religionist; the indifferent non-religious average Joe; the Christian exclusivist who fears local mosques and Hindu temples; and the religious relativist, with strong beliefs of his/her own who nonetheless values all traditions as equally valid. It is clear how she feels about each. The first two need a dose... Read more

The nation’s Catholic bishops are calling on the faithful to pray and mobilize in a “great national campaign” to confront what they see as a series of threats to religious freedom, and they are setting aside the two weeks before July 4 for their “Fortnight for Freedom” initiative.The exhortation is contained in a 12-page statement released Wednesday by the bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty, and its chief concern is the Obama administration’s proposal to provide contraception coverage to... Read more

As someone who identifies as gay and Christian, I see parts of myself reflected in the world around me. When I turn on the television, I get caught up in the drama of gay and lesbian students on ‘Glee.’ I can laugh with a gay couple raising a child and trying to relate to the rest of their relatives on ‘Modern Family.’ I can cheer on a Chaz Bono, the first transgender man to ‘dance with the stars.’ When I... Read more

By Gay ByronColgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School Abstract:Theological educators are now fostering dialogues, projects, and practices that are designed to acknowledge the challenges and opportunities resulting from the shifting racial and ethnic demographic climate in the U.S. and Canada. As well-intentioned as these efforts are, most of the scholarship focuses on the contemporary experiences of underrepresented minorities, current institutional concerns, or practical classroom scenarios, leaving Scripture courses, which have long been the backbone of theological education, beyond the scope of... Read more

By Ebony UtleyRhetoric Race and Religion Contributor “Branding Obamessiah: The Rise of an American Idol”A book by Mark Edward TaylorFirst Published at Truthdig Mark Edward Taylor, in “Branding Obamessiah: The Rise of an American Idol,” carefully reconstructs how six sacred branding strategies turned a mere mortal into an American savior. Taylor clearly believes that Barack Obama was too politically inexperienced to become president of the United States. Our current president was, however, very skilled at branding. Obama’s strategies were composing... Read more

by Crystal Lewis Rhetoric Race and Religion Contributor I was in church today when the inside of my purse began to glow. I recognized the light… It was my cellular phone. I grabbed my phone and rushed into the hallway. “Hello,” I whispered, afraid that the echo would carry my voice back into the sanctuary. “Hi, baby.” It was my mother. She was calling from the hospital in Ohio which is where she’s been for the past two months. My... Read more

Mitt Romney refuses to talk about his Mormon faith on the campaign trail and it’s probably a sound political strategy since his religion teaches that black people are cursed by God. Even though the overwhelming majority of African-American voters will support President Barack Obama in the general election over Romney, black Republicans have been particularly silent about how Mormons view black folks. For decades, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has taught that black people are “inferior”... Read more

The Rhetoric Race and Religion book club will continue its discussion on Twitter on James Cone’s provocative book The Cross and Lynching Tree on May 28, 2012 at 7:15pm (CST) using #R3bookclub #thecrossandlynchingtree. Cornel West notes that the Cross and Lynching Tree is “a powerful and painful song of hope in our dance with mortality.” To join or get more information, contact us on our Facebook page or Twitter Read more