The lack of a consistent Womanist presence places Union in turmoil. To fill the empty space, the administration hires well-trained and talented Womanist scholars to teach intermittently, but that fails to account for the absence of a full-time, tenure-track, black woman on the faculty. This is the humiliating predicament in which a seminary most known for its liberation identity finds itself. But on April 7, during the premiere of a new documentary, the school saw a glimpse of its history,... Read more

Nichole Phillips was on her way to medical school when she heard a different calling. “I had always been interested in religion, but medical school was my goal,” recalled Phillips, an assistant professor of religion and human difference in Emory’s Candler School of Theology. “Taken together, I thought I would be a more empathetic, compassionate physician.” So she embraced them both: an undergraduate biochemistry major and religion minor who was both president of her pre-med society and deeply involved in ministry... Read more

Of all the varied aspects of African womanhood, none are more fascinating than the hundreds of representations of Black Madonnas. Indeed, the Black Madonnas of Europe are perhaps the most venerated icons in all of European Christendom. Their shrines have attracted millions of devotees. They are thought to be miracle workers, and their miracle-working powers are derived from their blackness. In Russia during the nineteenth century, the celebrated Russian General Kutuzov had his army pray before the Black Madonna of... Read more

For at least one night each spring during the Civil War, in places like Louisiana and South Carolina and Georgia and Virginia, Confederate Jews commemorated how God freed the children of Israel from slavery. They retold the story of when God is said to have sent down 10 plagues to help free the Hebrews from their bondage, the last of which was the slaying of all Egyptians’ firstborn children, and how the Jews marked their door posts with the blood... Read more

by Jessie Jennings*Special to R3 The spring is finally upon us. I enjoy many things about the springtime. I enjoy the return of the birds that I hear singing as I walk my dog each morning. I enjoy seeing the sun shine through the curtains of my home as I prepare for work.. I enjoy being able to walk outside without a hat (which is strictly avoided in the winter since only my chin is covered with hair).  While I... Read more

by Peter Gathje Re Contributor Robert saw me bending over to pick up a discarded coffee cup at Manna House this morning. “Not so easy getting down low anymore is it?” he asked. “Some days are better than others.  But on all days I’m not nearly as flexible as I used to be.” “Me neither.  I was in the hospital most of yesterday with back spasms.” “Sorry to hear that Robert.  That’s painful.” “Years of cement work on top of high school football.  I’m... Read more

As I have been arguing for a long time, the category “religion” is transformative. [i] Various entities become “religions.” I want to emphasize that this is not a teleological or transhistorical process, but one that came out of a particular logic at a particular moment in Western Christendom, and its globalization was necessarily selective and to some extent arbitrary. It should also be noted that this was a modern process, articulated in various stages, but in essence coinciding with the... Read more

I hate to be rejected. Don’t you? No one likes rejection. Yet, we experience rejection and its pain from an early age. Children feel hurt when, on the playground or in other settings, they are not allowed to play a game with the rest of the kids. Childhood rejection may even be self-inflicted, when we resent the fact that we are afraid to climb up to the top of the Jungle Gym. I remember growing up and anticipating my being... Read more

Hobby Lobby was not my favorite work experience—it required long hours, ridiculous record-keeping, exposure to monotonous Christian muzak, and putting up with some creepy coworkers. It was, well, retail. Also, I worked there for all of three months. I’ve been a religious historian for far longer and thought I’d share my thoughts on the current case and the evolution of corporate Christianity in general instead of dwelling on those three months of stocking googly eyes. Huffington Post and Businessweek both... Read more

“Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.” (Billy Sunday) Is it better for your happiness and health to belong to an organized religion or to be “spiritual”? Does it matter? Being religious refers to believing in a specific deity (or group of deities) and following the regulations of a particular religion. In addition, organized religion (as implied by its title) generally takes place in a relatively formal, organized... Read more