Monthly Archives: September 2010

Finally Some Good News for Atheists and Agnostics – They Still Know More About Religion Than Their Religious Counterparts

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Deane Galbraith

It has been a torrid few years for thinking atheists and agnostics, having to be associated with the stridently confident, loud, and – quite frankly – downright embarrassing group known as the New Atheists. There is hardly a week goes … Continue reading →

Posted in Deane Galbraith, Religion and Popular Culture, Religion in the News | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

O God of Players: An Interview with Julie Byrne

Posted on September 26, 2010 by bodiesofknowledge

Julie Byrne grew up in Pennsylvania and completed her B.A. degree in Medieval & Renaissance Studies and Religion at Duke University in 1990. She entered Duke’s graduate program in religion and earned her master’s degree in 1996 and her Ph.D. … Continue reading →

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How It Works: Shirley Sherrod, Park51, and the Big Mistake in American Culture

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Donovan Schaefer

Two stories in the news that had me riveted this summer.  First, the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque,” the Park51 Islamic community center (Jon Stewart labeled it the “Community Center of Death”) that a few Muslim New Yorkers applied for permission … Continue reading →

Posted in Donovan Schaefer, Religion in the News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Tolerating Muslims at Ground Zero: No thanks!

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Deane Galbraith

In recent weeks I have observed U.S. liberals protesting against Terry Jones’ proposal to burn the Qur’an, and countering the pastor’s none-too-subtle violent posture towards Muslims. I’ve also witnessed other liberal-minded folk defending the decision to build an Islamic centre somewhere in the vicinity of the destroyed … Continue reading →

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Theological punctuation?

Posted on September 20, 2010 by Nathan Rein

What do you think? Clever use of punctuation to make a pithy, postmodern, metatheological comment? Or something else? Via The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks. UPDATE: If anyone’s curious, this appears to be the Ellis Theatre in Perryton, Texas. A … Continue reading →

Posted in Nathan Rein, Theory in the Real World | 3 Comments

"I was like, dude, you HAVE no Qur'an"

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Nathan Rein

Stop me if you heard this one. A guy walks into a park in Texas with a Qur’an, a lighter, and a can of kerosene, and, well – — nothing happens. Nothing that anyone expected, anyway. In a gloomy week … Continue reading →

Posted in Nathan Rein, Religion in the News | Leave a comment

Divided by Faith?

Posted on September 11, 2010 by Craig Martin

It seems to be a common sense notion that people fight over differing religious beliefs. Consider the following paragraph from an NPR news story, which I take to be typical: When Osama bin Laden declared war on the West in … Continue reading →

Posted in Craig Martin, Politics and Religion, Theory and Method | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Cardinal Newman Society and Unintentional Irony

Posted on September 9, 2010 by Deane Galbraith

The Cardinal Newman Society has certainly set a new standard for unintentional irony. Let me explain how… The mission of The Cardinal Newman Society, according to its website, “is to help renew and strengthen Catholic identity in Catholic higher education.” On the surface, … Continue reading →

Posted in Deane Galbraith, Religion in the News, Sexuality and Gender | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sociology as a Martial Art: An Interview with Terry Rey

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Donovan Schaefer

I interviewed Terry Rey in late 2009, shortly before the terrible earthquake in Haiti that devastated Port-au-Prince. He was eager to speak about his passion for Bourdieu’s justice-based approach to sociology—“scholarship as martial arts”—as well as how Bourdieu’s theoretical frame … Continue reading →

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John Milbank’s Atavistic Orthodoxy

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Deane Galbraith

Christian theologian John Milbank is half right in calling his position “radical orthodoxy.” After all, the half containing the word ”orthodoxy” is fairly accurate. But judging from his recent article, “Christianity, the Enlightenment and Islam,” a much more suitable qualifier for Milbank’s orthodoxy … Continue reading →

Posted in Deane Galbraith, Theory and Method | 25 Comments