Monthly Archives: May 2008

Reporters today have it so good! (Ha! Just wanted to see if you were paying attention,) But seriously, the Internet has revolutionized the practice of journalism in ways besides the debate about whether bloggers can be “real” reporters. More significant, … Continue reading →

“Turning Away from Jesus: Gay Rights and the War for the Episcopal Church” (link currently malfunctioning?) in the June issue of Harper's gave me the chills. It was that good. The magazine sat on my desk for over a week. … Continue reading →

Admit it: you were surprised by the unanimous Texas court ruling that the state had insufficient warrant to remove children from the Yearning for Zion ranch (A.K.A. polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' compound) in Eldorado. … Continue reading →

Good stories can always be recycled, and David Brooks' recent column, “The Neural Buddhists,”  is a case in point. According to Brooks, neuroscience demonstrates that “transcendent experiences can actually be identified and measured in the brain.” Notwithstanding religious differences, research … Continue reading →

Two new books on American evangelicalism wield a one-two punch to news coverage as usual. In The Fall of the Evangelical Nation, Christine Wicker argues that a solid bloc of “values voters” is as real as the Easter bunny—not only … Continue reading →

The Pew Forum's recent study, “Religion in China on the Eve of the 2008 Beijing Olympics” begins with a reminder that religion remains a factor even in one of the world's most secular nations. “On Aug. 8, 2008—the right day … Continue reading →

Remember that scene in the “Wizard of Oz” when Dorothy pulls back the curtain and finds that the great and terrible Oz is really a small, balding man? Veteran journalist Christine Wicker makes a similar discovery in her new book, … Continue reading →