Why, God? Grasping for Control, Praying for Grace
A man armed with guns walked into an elementary school and killed many people, most of whom were children. My hands shake even just typing such words. The news reports are still being updated, and the social media world is alive with commentary. I picked up my copy of the New York Times yesterday and [...]
Lent – A Season of Mindfulness
Lent is an opportunity to walk mindfully through the wilderness, in order to be more attentive and intentional to our selves and to one another.
Apologies, Not Apologetics
Something keeps creeping up in my mind, almost as a mantra, as I hear and see and experience much of our world’s news. From within the OccupyWallStreet movement and other protests national and global, to the new normal of political rhetoric, the Penn State abuse case, and much more. A recent piece by Dylan Ratigan [...]
Fear, Blame & Solidarity: What Does Democracy Look Like?
#OccupyWallStreet is a serious movement. I spent some time among the people at Zuccotti Park recently, and it is truly an inspiring thing to witness and be a part of. There is a great amount of organization, mostly to ensure that the people choosing to live there are taken care of and that their safety [...]
Where Do We Go From Here? Seeking Justice…
The news this week, like many recent weeks, has been full of stories of injustice, violence, misunderstanding, pain. As an American, there are plenty of stories within our national framework to choose from. I am also acutely aware of suffering taking place all over the world, of which my privileged status comes to light in [...]
Where I Was, Where I May Be
I live in New York City. As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaches this Sunday, the entire city is preparing to mark this occasion is numerous and various ways, and a lot of reflection is taking place. Part of me, however, feels a bit strange being here. Almost like an outside or a tourist who [...]
Speaking on Freedoms
I’m angry. On my way to work this morning, a small sidebar in the daily paper I read caught my attention. Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church who were appealing a case against them for protesting at funerals (military funerals in particular, but others as well) on the [...]
My Radical Valentine
It has been many weeks between posts for me, but this is not for a lack of topics. So much has taken place just in the few weeks we have called 2011, many such events life-changing for millions of people. I have been filled with want of so many things to say, but then something [...]
I Am Not the Same Christian Today That I Was Yesterday
Recently, I had a discussion on Hegelian metaphysics with a group of 6th graders. I was surprised, as were they, to be describing our conversation in this way, but it was a happy surprise. I have the privilege of working for a non-profit that serves interfaith families, where the parents each come from either Jewish [...]
Anna DeWeese
Anna DeWeese, 28, received her Master of Arts degree in Systematic Theology from Union Theological Seminary in New York City in 2009. She is Project Coordinator for the CARE for Teachers program, a program of the Garrison Institute's Contemplative Teaching and Learning Initiative. She also teaches for the Interfaith Community in New York City, a non-profit religious education organization for blended-faith families.
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Contributing Scholars
Ben DeVanBenjamin B. DeVan has taught religion, philosophy, and African American literature at North Carolina Central University, Peace College, and a January term mini-course at MIT titled, "Religion: Bringing the World Together, or Tearing the World Apart?" He completed his MA in Counseling at Asbury Theological Seminary, his MDiv at Duke University, a ThM at Harvard in World Religions with a thesis on evangelical Christians and Muslims, and is now a doctoral candidate at a historic British university writing a dissertation on the New Atheism.
Tiffany PuettTiffany Puett is a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo. Her research focuses on religious diversity and multiculturalism in North America, the ongoing construction of ‘religion’ in a liberal democratic society and the politics embedded in these processes. She’s especially interested in the intersections of religion with education, citizenship, and religious freedom.
Rebecca LeviReligious Studies grad student. Amateur cartoonist and cook, even more amateur violinist and science nerd. All-around kvetch.