Practitioner vs. Scholar: Why Reza Aslan Reminds Me to Fight for that Division
As you most likely have heard by now, author Reza Aslan participated in what is being called “the worst Fox News interview ever.” A sociologist and and scholar, Aslan recently wrote Zealot: the Life...
View ArticleI Am A Millennial or When the Gaithers Make Me Cry
Photo of West End Collegiate Church - Courtesy Jim Kast-Keat If there were any primary “buzz word” for the last few weeks, it would be the word Millennial. Recently brought to the blogosphere by the...
View ArticleChristian Piatt Wants to Know… Which Christian Blogs Do YOU Enjoy?
Photo of my Subway Stop in Manhattan. My Daily Blog Reading Spot! As a still fairly new blogger, I appreciate the rich blogging community that exists online. Every day as I descend the subway steps to...
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“We Live in Tension” a guest post by Nathan Kennedy
Over the past couple months I’ve received multiple messages from readers asking me to explain my commitment to LGBTQ equality, specifically within the Christian Church. There are numerous resources...
View ArticleVillains in the Bible: Why the Pharisees Are Not Your Bad Guys
One of the more visible villains in the New Testament’s gospels is the figure of the Pharisee. Recalled in Christian memory as “heretical” and “legalistic,” the Pharisees battled Jesus the protagonist...
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Pop Up Theology: Art Series by Christi Scofield
Theology comes in many forms. From the conversations shared around a table, from a famed book published, or even from a witty blog post. But recently I have been exploring the means of theology and art...
View ArticleAre you an Artist?? New Art and Religion Series!
I’m a firm believer that religious narratives, imagery, and experience can inform much of our creative expression. So in addition to my regular weekly blog post, I’m adding a new Art and Religion...
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Matt Bernico: Glitch Christ
Next in my Religious Rhythm art series is artist Matt Bernico (@the_intermezzo) and his concept Glitch Christ. Matt personally studies media and philosophy academically so he approaches art on that...
View ArticleWhen Sermons Oppress Part 1: “Resisting Ableism in NT Healing Narratives”
“Jesus heals.” These words have long been an anthem of song, the roar of the pulpit, and the whispered plea on the lips of those who suffer. And often these words cling to the promise of a story or...
View ArticleWhen Sermons Oppress Part 2: “Resisting Anti-Judaism in NT Healing Narratives”
As I wrote in Part 1: “Resisting Ableism in NT Healing Narratives,” Rabbi Dr. Julia Watts Belser and Rev. Dr. Melanie S. Morrison offer a necessary critique of the way New Testament healing narratives...
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Ryan Kemp-Pappan: Art, Heritage, and the Church
I’d like to introduce Ryan Kemp-Pappan, the next artist in my Religious Rhythm series. Ryan draws upon his experiences with the Christian Church as he manipulates colors and popular images. I have...
View ArticleBaptism as Colonialism: the Embodiment of a Male Birthing Ritual
It was down with the old man, up with the new Raised to walk in the ways of light and truth I didn’t see no angels, just a few saints on the shore But, I felt like a newborn baby, cradled up in the...
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Casey Voight: Watercolor Wrangler
I’d like to introduce Casey Voight, talented artist and children’s book author. Casey’s images illuminate the struggles and emotions of human life. Here she shares her inspiration and her personal...
View ArticleOn Sacramental Feminism [Guest Post at The Smitten Word]
The day I became a woman, I became the Bride of Christ. I remember that day, the day spots of blood appeared on my clothing, and I rushed to my mother for answers. She quickly summoned my father, and...
View ArticleWhat the Pope and the Ancient Rabbis Have in Common
On another occasion it happened that a certain non-Jew came before Shammai and said to him, “I will convert to Judaism, on condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot.”...
View ArticleWho is a Christian? When We Spend 2,000 Years Answering that Question
Religious identity: is it inherent, constructed, or bestowed? Since Christianity’s origin, whenever that was, Christian believers have spent much of their energy identifying, naming, and drawing the...
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Peter Lewicki: Portraits of Clergy
Peter Lewicki is a photographer who features the clergy member in his pieces. Read how his project grew into an entire series entitled “Spirit and Light: Portraits of Clergy.” As photographers, and...
View ArticleConfabulation and the Power of Religious Narratives
Confabulation might be the most mysterious and compelling aspect of human ontology. A term first introduced in German literature to describe pseudo or false memories, the study of confabulation has...
View ArticleGod is Dead: Or When Professors Become the Bogeyman
Many a child has felt the shivering fear that prickles the spine when a parent whispers the words, “Be good, or the Bogeyman will get you!” Some children will search their room methodically before bed...
View ArticleWhen All I See is Male: Confronting Patriarchy in Religious Texts and Tradition
The debut of Michel Foucault’s History of Sexuality and the wave of feminist theory in the 1970s and 1980s thrust the issue of gender and sexuality to the forefront of both the academic and...
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