As part of the 3 percent of Mormons who are African-American, Tamu Smith and Zandra Vranes view their LDS identity through a slightly different cultural lens. The two self-proclaimed Sistas in Zion have navigated their faith with humor and openness in a successful podcast and now a book describes their journey as friends and believers. Read more

As we enter a new century likely to be dominated by sweeping scientific and technological developments, the need for spiritual guidance will be stronger than ever. Science alone cannot adequately cater for our spiritual needs, but any religion that refuses to embrace scientific discovery is unlikely to survive to the 22nd century. Religion faces extraordinary challenges in the 21st century. Dazzling advances in science and technology have transformed our world view and produced dramatic changes in lifestyle and material wellbeing.... Read more

A recent Gallup poll notes that “a combined 75% [of Americans] believe the Bible is in some way connected to God”; 28% believe that the Bible should be taken literally, and about half understand and interpret the Bible as the inspired Word of God. But to what extent do preachers see the whole Bible—all thirty-thousand-plus verses—as the inerrant or inspired Word of God? We’re all familiar with the humorous argument that if we’re prepared to use the Bible to condemn homosexuality we’ll... Read more

I am both shocked and fascinated by Americans’ religious literalism. One Gallup report issued last week found that 42 percent of Americans believe “God created humans in their present form 10,000 years ago.” Even among people who said that they were “very familiar” with the theory of evolution, a third still believed that God created humans in their present form 10,000 years ago. It’s not clear what the respondents meant by being “very familiar” — did they fully understand the... Read more

The first synagogue to take root in North America more than 350 years ago was Congregation Shearith Israel. This community of Sephardic Jews hailing from the Spanish-Portuguese community came with their deeply held beliefs of how the world works, how communities are formed and how they are maintained and began to earnestly set out to repeat that pattern on the shores of the Atlantic. Yet, something was very different here than it was in any other context that the Jews... Read more

When the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) gathers in Baltimore tomorrow for its annual meeting, they are expected to discuss their declining numbers as well as cultural hot buttons such as homosexuality and transgender issues. As Yogi Berra once said, “It’s like deja vu all over again.” Membership and baptisms within the denomination have been declining for years and the SBC never misses an opportunity to publicly weigh in on the political and cultural issues du jour. But the larger question hovering over the... Read more

Confession: I’ve been called a ‘ho’ before by a man that did not have any prior knowledge of my sexual tendencies. It was a typical nightclub scene that involved a 20 something Me chilling with my friends. The whole ordeal was common, so common that many of my friends and I knew how to deal with it, specifically. Therefore, I spat some obscenities at him as he walked away. Of course, his use of the slur was a way of... Read more

In the next few weeks, the Supreme Court of the United States will rule on two cases taken up this term: Hobby Lobby vs. Sibelius and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. vs. Sibelius. Both claim to be about the freedom to practice one’s own religion without interference by the government, but both are actually about whether or not broad exemptions to disregard antidiscrimination laws should be granted to people—and corporations—who oppose them on religious grounds. Most embarrassing of all is the specter of people asking... Read more

Anyone born within the last 50 years would be justified in thinking that Jesus’ teachings and Christian preachings were the exclusive domain of social and fiscal conservatives. The ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s were dominated by Christians with names like Falwell, Robertson, and Dobson who leveraged television and radio to make theirs the default religious voice in America. While important Liberation, Black, Womanist and Feminist theology was being lived out in communities around the world, when the media wanted a “representative”... Read more

Introduction “It is only when we play our part that we can say to President (Jacob) Zuma, you play your part as well, because we are playing our part”. So said ANC (African National Congress) Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, while waving a Bible in the air. Bible waving has always been a way of configuring public space in South Africa. But it is the post-liberation context that is the subject of this paper, as I probe what precisely it is that... Read more