By J. Kameron Carter How should suffering, loss, and pain be understood? And I mean here not just personal pain, but societally and religiously inflicted pain, that pain and suffering that’s most within our control. Can the lives broken on the shores and smashed against the rocks of social sin be redeemed? In short, is a just society possible? Which is to ask (and here I allude to ole Jimmy—Jimmy Baldwin, that is), can injustice be checkmated? Professor James H.... Read more

RevelationsVisions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of RevelationBy Elaine PagelsViking. 246 pp. $27.95. Review by Hal Taussig Elaine Pagels is perhaps the preeminent voice of biblical scholarship to the American public. With the best yet of her finely tuned prose for the general reader, her new book, Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation, takes a significant step closer to confirming her in that role. Turning her attention to biblical writings in a more focused manner... Read more

Robyn Henderson-Espinoza (una Tejana y queermeztiz@) is currently finishing a Ph.D. in Philisohpical Ethics.  Robyn’s research interests reside in interrogating the Mestizaje Body, particularly it’s materiality. Robyn uses Critical Spatiality, Queer Theories, & the Thought & Theories of Gloria Anzaldúa to conceive of a much more robust notion of bodies, Mestizaje, race, and  the epistemological importance of the Mestiz@’s moral agency. Robyn situates this work as queerethics. Contact her on twitter @irobyn Robyn’s Articles: 1. On Being ABD and Choosing an Advisor2. Remembering Ada Maria... Read more

Since the introduction of slavery in the Americas in the early 1600’s, Christianity has had a powerful effect on the African American culture. When the European settlers discovered the communities in Africa, they saw opportunities for advancement of their society. The African Americans were forcibly and involuntarily brought to America to work as slaves under a new authority. At first, few were converted because of the white mans’ aversion to and fear of black Christians, and the notion of them... Read more

by DAVID ROSENMoney matters, in politics as in other aspects of American life. The March 6’s Super Tuesday Republican playoffs in 10 states were one more round in the political-Nascar crash-dummy derby. And for all his money and organizational muscle, Mitt Romney’s campaign yet again failed to win a decisive victory and secure his party’s presidential nomination. Romney’s squeakers in Ohio and, earlier, Michigan, were slim, unconvincing showings. While he will keep juggling, trying to be everything to everyone, the... Read more

by Rev. Richard CizikHuffington Post The fierce backlash from some evangelical Christian leaders to President Obama’s sensible decision to cover contraception services under the health care reform law brings to mind Groucho Marx’s definition of politics: “The art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it, and then misapplying the wrong remedies.” Christian mega-pastor Rick Warren is willing to engage in civil disobedience. The National Association of Evangelicals is reportedly considering asking pastors of every evangelical denomination to read an... Read more

In the new issue of Origins, the CNS documentary service, the International Theological Commission, an advisory body to the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, says theologians and bishops have distinct but complementary roles in teaching the Catholic faith (click here for the CNS story), but theologians ultimately must defer to the pope and bishops regarding the authentic interpretation of the faith. Titled “Theology Today: Perspectives, Principles and Criteria,” the 20,000-word text looks at developments in Catholic theology since Vatican Council... Read more

http://www-tc.pbs.org/s3/pbs.videoportal-prod.cdn/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf Watch Religion and Social Media on PBS. See more from Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. Read more

by William O’BrienHuffington Post Once again, the U.S. presidential election process is marked by the peculiar American interplay of religion and politics. As in the past several campaigns, conservative Christians are a prize voting bloc: Since the beginning of the campaign, we have witnessed the various Republican candidates vigorously vying for their votes, plying their respective pieties and accentuating their evangelical credentials. Interestingly, the religious vote is highly prized despite the fact that the usual social issues that are the... Read more

by Giovanni NealRhetoric Race and Religion BloggerIn the light of Andrew Breitbart’s untimely demise, there has been a big stir about the elusive Obama “college” videos. Brietbart was known for inflating the truth to inflate his own ego, but could the videos show something new? Breitbart really made the videos seem like they would have conclusive evidence of President Obama’s radical past. The videos that were released by Breitbart.com have been a big snooze to everyone. The videos were just... Read more