‘Tis the Season to Consume
‘Tis the season to spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need. The twelve days of debt are upon us and the annual festival of fights has begun. Apparently pepper spray will be this year’s most popular gift. Peace on earth, good will toward men, only $19.95 if you call right now (plus [...]
Touring the Ironbound: Environmental Justice Made Real
I was on a chartered bus with about 40 other people—Christians, Jews, Muslims, Unitarian Universalists, one Buddhist, and one Wiccan priest. We were united in being people of faith, in being mostly white and middle class, and in touring part of Newark, New Jersey as part of the Environmental Justice retreat of GreenFaith’s Fellowship Program. [...]
Can Unitarian Universalists Really Believe Whatever They Want?
Unitarian Universalism is a religious tradition with roots in Christianity, but has since taken a strong stance regarding religious freedom in every person’s spiritual formation. This may be characterized as a non-credal religious tradition, which is a characterization arguably shared with some mainline protestant traditions and other traditions altogether. However, Unitarian Universalism reaches a step [...]
Torah Study As a Spiritual Practice
This article was originally posted at http://judaism.bellaonline.com. Torah study is an integral part of Judaism and living a full and vibrant Jewish life. We are all commanded to dedicate some part of our day to Torah study, be it a few hours or even just a few moments. Torah study is a practice which can [...]
Seven Types of Scholarship
What are scholars for? I offer for your consideration seven types of religious scholarship: priest, scribe, gnostic, revolutionary, rabbi, scientist, and contemplative.
Press Release: Collaboration to Launch New Program for Informal Interreligious Education
State of Formation, an international network for young religious leaders, is collaborating with Claremont Lincoln University to develop a pilot program for informal interreligious education. The program’s inaugural events will be a monthly series of coffeehouse-style conversations on interreligious topics, beginning with a Dec. 1 evening event on the Claremont campus (see below for details) [...]
Learning to climb
Having just returned from my first AAR experience at this year’s annual meeting in San Francisco, my mind is still spinning. For me, it was five glorious days of nerd-heaven where theological reflections on everything from identity politics to cyborgs abound. The only responsibility I had to fill during those days was showing up and [...]
Chanukah’s History: Challenging but Full of Meaning
The history of Chanukah squeezes us between two competing narratives: one of idealization and one of consternation. The former encourages us to view Chanukah as a holiday of liberation, when the Maccabees overthrew their Hellenistic occupiers in pursuit of faith and freedom. The Jews wanted a homeland free of outside ruler and were willing to [...]
“Muscular Christianity” and the Penn State Scandal
University of Nebraska Assistant Coach Ron Brown prayed on behalf of his football team and that of Penn State prior to their game on November 12th, in the wake of the latter university’s scandal regarding former head coach Joe Paterno. Which you already know about if you haven’t been living under a rock for roughly [...]
Dogmatic Belief and Interfaith Dialogue – Oil and Water?
Hi, I’m Marty, and I’m an Orthodox Christian. I know, I know. Orthodox Christians don’t generally associate themselves with interfaith dialogues. Perhaps that makes me not a very good Orthodox Christian. I’m not at all sure. Especially as ordained clergy (I’m a Deacon) which means I have sworn support and obedience to my bishop in [...]
Contributing Scholars
Practical MattersPractical Matters is a graduate-student run, transdisciplinary, multimedia journal, sponsored and supported at Emory University, that seeks to ask and provoke new questions about religious practices and practical theology. Founded in 2007, Practical Matters publishes peer-reviewed scholarship in several different media types and genres, reflections and essays by practitioners and teachers, video and audio interviews with scholars, reviews of current work in religious practices and practical theology, musical performances, photographic essays, and more.
Benjamin BarerBenjamin Barer is the Assistant Editor at Large for State of Formation at the Journal of Inter-Religious Dialogue. He has spent his young life studying Judaism and Jewish texts in exclusively Jewish environments. He is looking to take that intimate knowledge of the tradition and share it with wider communities, touching on the pressing issues facing the Jewish world, and the world as a whole. Towards that end, he has started work at Hebrew College as a research assistant splitting time between CIRCLE — the Centre for Inter-Religious and Communal Leadership Education, jointly hosted by Andover Newton Theological School and Hebrew College — and the Centre for Global Judiasm, at Hebrew College. Text study is the epicentre of his connection to Judaism, and he is keenly interested in widening the scope of that passion to include other scriptures. Benjamin blogs regularly at whatibelievein.wordpress.com
Omar KassabOmar is a German Muslim with Syrian roots. Currently, he is undertaking a Masters in "Comparative and International Studies" at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. He is interested in interfaith dialogue and the interplay between Politics and Religion in our "post-secular" world.