By Giovanni Neal, aka Blamegirl Rhetoric Race and Religion Contributor Follow her on Twitter @blamegirls I cannot tell you how many times, I’ve been called a race baiter. People say that I am racist and divisive because I openly discuss race. Many of the people that call me racist, use religion to divide. The very people that don’t want birth control or gay marriage, because it is not in line with their religious thinking, tell me I am divisive. Religion can... Read more

Human beings need narratives. They provide purpose, explanation, and meaning. They underlie religions and nations alike. To be sure, they sometimes reinforce preordained categories that prohibit nuance and leave listeners less willing to grapple with others’ narratives. Many people end up reading and watching “analysis” that only convinces them of his or her own story, while simultaneously condemning the unfamiliar. It is a rather sad condition in a country whose founding story is one of mutual respect and pluralism. Unfortunately,... Read more

Until very recently, scholars theorized that the advent of modernity would inexorably lead to a less religious world. Simply put, modernization equaled secularization. In Europe, that assumption was common to the theories of Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Sigmund Freud. In the United States, too, social scientists with policymaking influence, among them Walt Rostow and Daniel Bell, predicted the inevitable decline of religion as modernity marched forward. The world today disproves that thinking. In the rapidly industrializing BRIC countries, Brazilians,... Read more

In the history of reflection on the relationship of politics and Christianity, one of the questions that often comes up is whether or not Jesus’ ethical teaching, like that of the Sermon on the Mount, is politically applicable and, if applicable, practicable. On the horns of that dilemma Reinhold Niehbur developed the Christian realist position – effectively arguing that it was neither. Niehbur, if you recall, is Barack Obama’s favourite author, a fact that I recalled when pictures emerged of... Read more

Mark Twain once said, “It ain’t what you know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” The great American novelist would have gotten a kick out of a recent blog post by Family Research Council’s (FRC) Chris Marlink. 

 The post attempted to critique a USA Today column, “Evangelicals Seek Positive Change,” in which I was quoted as saying:Americans are tired of the incivility and the partisan divisiveness on both sides. Regardless... Read more

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By: Moniza Khokhar Reverend Osagyefo Sekou, 41, is a religious leader who not only believes in social justice, but lives to achieve it.  In Sekou’s most recent book Gods, Gays and Guns: Essays on Religion and the Future of Democracy, he engages various religious community’s and challenges them to question the status quo from politics to relationships.  Sekou currently resides in Boston with his family, and we got a chance to speak to him.Elan: Can you tell us a little bit about... Read more

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Islam is often viewed as an inherently violent and intolerant world religion. This misconception is fueled in part by the miscreant deeds of some Muslims, particularly toward those of other faith beliefs. That conduct is then unfairly imputed to Islamic doctrine and coreligionists globally. The imputation is unfair because the individual Muslim’s action may not in fact be supported by informed readings of Islamic legal strictures, nor necessarily be representative of the 2.2 billion Muslims in the world. This is... Read more