Monthly Archives: May 2011

Mega Crystal Meltdown Redux

by Richard Flory The past tumultuous few years for the Crystal Cathedral have included the retirement (and un-retirement, then subsequent re-retirement) of the Schuller pater familias; the son's inheriting the family business only to be replaced by his sister (his … Continue reading

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You Got Your Chakra in My Praise Moves! What Counts as Religious Authenticity?

by Lee Gilmore As the pop-cultural consciousness turns slowly away from recent apocalyptic murmurings, the time is right to consider other live-wire stories that have not received adequate attention. In particular, questions about whether yoga and Islam “count” as authentic … Continue reading

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Sexism and Islamophobia: An Under-Reported Link in Strauss-Kahn Coverage

by Kevin Healey Dominique Strauss-Kahn's religious identity has made news since 1991, when the Jewish Tribune reported that each morning he asks himself how he can be “helpful to the state of Israel.” He should have refuted the quote, he … Continue reading

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Backgrounding the Apocalypse

by J. Terry Todd Google Trends confirms it: Web surfers want to know about Judgment Day. On Thursday night, May 19th, as Tech News Daily reports, four of the top ten searches were apocalypse-related.  The #1 search on Google was … Continue reading

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LGBT Rights Round-up

by Becky Garrison The past week was a kaleidoscope of LGBT-related stories. How did they look through then lens of mainstream news media? After Sojourners, a leading Christian social-justice magazine, decided not to run an ad welcoming the LGBT community, … Continue reading

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Palestinians Left Out in the Cold During Arab Spring?

by Dalia Hashad Over the past few days, thousands of people in the Middle East and around the globe participated in coordinated protests commemorating the 1948 expulsion from Palestine of approximately 700,000 Palestinians who were subsequently barred, by the new … Continue reading

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Popular Science as a guide for Popular Geopolitics?

by Salman Hameed One of the motivations behind the efforts to popularize science is the idea that we live in a democracy, and a scientifically informed citizenry is necessary (or is at least strongly preferred) for living in the modern … Continue reading

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And The Survey Says: Whatever You Want

by Maura Jane Farrelly The New York Times had an interesting piece this week that reminded me of one of the principle difficulties faced by reporters who cover religion in the United States: The fact that there is no definitive … Continue reading

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Bin Laden's Death: Tweeting Our Devolution

by John Adams In one fell swoop, President Obama trumped the borderline tabloid-ish coverage of the royal wedding, silenced the blather of the birthers, interrupted the boardroom of the “Celebrity Apprentice” and sent people dancing in the streets. As partiers … Continue reading

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Bin Laden's Gone, the Problem Remains

by Dalia Hashad “Osama bin Laden's death brings celebration, unity,” Politico announced. To wit, Rush Limbaugh thanked God for President Obama. Cheering crowds from Washington, D.C. to Dearborn waved American flags and screamed, “USA! USA! USA!” But something is amiss. … Continue reading

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