Top Democratic legislators are promising to harness religion to help them win 2012 voters, and are also declaring that the Democratic Party’s actions are the expression of their religious obligations. “The Democrats’ values and core agenda, and President Obama’s accomplishments, are reflective of the tenets and teachings and lessons of my faith as a Jewish woman… [and] no, there aren’t things that are informed by my faith than are different from the values and ideals of the Democratic Party,” said... Read more

by Brad BraxtonHuffington Post How can progressive Christians “get in front” of Jesus by using the gospel forward to address pressing social dilemmas? In response to this question, I will discuss two moments from Jesus’ story and “remix” them. A remix occurs when fresh elements are introduced into an old framework, thereby creating a new story. The Birth of Jesus: A Progressive RemixAccording to the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus was born in a social context where... Read more

by Brad BraxtonHuffington Post Parishioners in the church of my childhood often sang the hymn, “I have decided to follow Jesus…No turning back, no turning back.” The hymn cautioned disciples about turning away from Jesus. This essay explores the prospect of being disciples by getting in front of Jesus.To follow a person usually means walking behind that person. Could it be, however, that we follow Jesus most faithfully when we walk ahead of Jesus? I argue for a progressive Christianity... Read more

Who says religion and politics don’t mix? Religion scholar Anthea Butler thinks they do, now more so than ever. The 2012 presidential contest, she says, “could be the most religiously based presidential race in recent memory.” On Wednesday, Dec. 7, Butler, an associate professor of religious studies in the School of Arts and Sciences, will discuss “Faith Matters: Religion and Rhetoric in the 2012 Election” for the Penn Lightbulb Café. Free and open to the public, the talk will begin... Read more

A religious freedom advocacy group is challenging all 2012 presidential contenders to sign a pledge committing themselves to promote religious freedom at home and to make it a foreign policy priority. As of late Tuesday, Republican former Sen. Rick Santorum had signed the Open Doors USA pledge and the other candidates – including the Democratic incumbent – were “considering” doing so, the organization said. Signatories to the “pledge for religious freedom” commit themselves to uphold religious freedom for Americans of... Read more

When creative genius neglects to ally itself in this way to some public interest it hardly gives birth to works of wide or perennial influence. Imagination needs a soil in history, tradition, or human institutions, else its random growths are not significant enough and, like trivial melodies, go immediately out of fashion.-George SantayanaI am a radical democrat or improvisational socialist—as opposed to a social democrat or left liberal— because I am convinced that the rule of capital (an interlocking network... Read more

by Shawna Shepherdfrom CNN The first stop on Newt Gingrich’s three-day swing through South Carolina was a town hall-style event at a church in Summerville, where the rising GOP presidential hopeful answered questions from area pastors on a range of issues. The event at the Faith Assembly of God was closed to the media, but one Gingrich supporter who attended said she was among 50 people who attended – not all of them pastors. “They asked how does God influence,... Read more

By Philip L. Tite This year’s annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) was a fun experience. I went through the typical routine of attending a smattering of sessions, connecting up with friends and colleagues, meeting new people, meandering through the book exhibit looking for interesting titles and good deals, and finally exploring a new city (I had never been to San Francisco before). Attending the AAR/SBL meeting also offers me... Read more

English-speaking Roman Catholics who have regularly attended Mass for years found themselves in an unfamiliar position Sunday, needing printed cards or sheets of paper to follow along with a ritual many have known since childhood. “I don’t think I said it the right way once,” said Matthew Hoover, who attends St. Ann Catholic Church in Clayton, a growing town on the edge of the Raleigh suburbs. “I kept forgetting, and saying the old words.” The Mass itself – the central... Read more

In the previous post I offered some critical reflections on colorblindness, the paradigm that dominates the mainstream conversation on race in the United States. In this post I will discuss the white privilege paradigm. The white privilege paradigm represents a formidable challenge to the paradigm of colorblindness, and it constitutes a vital dimension of the stand I take throughout this blog. White privilege helps account for the durability of institutional and structural racism by reminding us that systemic oppression continues... Read more