Of Mormons, Baptists, and Liberty of Conscience
On 7 October, Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, was speaking to reporters outside the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC, where he had just introduced Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry. Taking aim at Perry’s rival for the nomination, Mitt Romney, Jeffress said that Romney, a member of the Church of Jesus [...]
A War Against Knowledge
This Article was first published as A War Against Knowledge on Blogcritics. Writing in The Huffington Post, Nobel Laureates Desmond Tutu and Jose Ramos-Horta note: Freedom of education and freedom of information are integral to freedom of thought. Few advances have been made for humankind which were not preceded by new ways of looking at [...]
How Does It Feel to Be a Question?
Article first published as How Does It Feel to Be A Question? on Blogcritics. I wrote recently that young Baha’is in Iran are denied the experience of graduating from college taken for granted by young Americans this time of year. For a young Baha’i in the United States, the denial was not a diploma, but [...]
Contributing Scholars
Chris HughesChris Hughes is a second-year MDiv student at Wake Forest University School of Divinity and a youth minister at a Baptist church. He writes on issues of church and state, environment, and full inclusion of all people in church life.
Michael RambergRabbi Michael Ramberg graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College this June. Much to his surprise, as the son of intermarried (but mainly secular) parents active in the Civil Rights movement, Michael has found in the rabbinate his own way to carry on his parents’ important legacy. For him the most compelling venue in which to pursue this work of repairing the world is through interfaith coalitions, not only because Jews need partners in order to bring about real changes, but also because interfaith relationships are so nourishing for him.
Michael’s focus is standing up for the rights of immigrants, which he does primarily as a volunteer with the New Sanctuary Movement and with his synagogue, Mishkan Shalom, in Philadelphia, PA. In addition to his rabbinic role as community organizer and activist, Michael relishes his responsibilities working with people to sanctify life transitions.
In his Jewish practice Michael is invigorated both by reconstructing the Jewish tradition to fit the evolving needs of people today and by immersing himself in prayer and the study of sacred texts.
Michael’s partner just completed her PhD in Education and they have committed to equally sharing the care of their two year old daughter. Michael sometimes thinks that the profound love his daughter has inspired in him gives him at least a glimmer of understanding of the love the divine has for humanity.
Drew JacobDrew Jacob is a philosopher, adventurer and polytheist priest. Travel is his spiritual practice, adventure is his religion. He believes we can live for our ideals, chase a greater fate, seek out challenge and change the shape of the world. He's going 8,000 miles to try it out.