Monthly Archives: November 2010

by Kevin Healey The New York Times technology section is a portal for all things geeky: smart phones, web browsers, video games. The last place you'd go to check the pulse of American religion, right? Not so fast, says tech … Continue reading →

by Lee Gilmore In this weekend's headlines about the stupefyingly successful penultimate installment of the Harry Potter saga, reviewers are mainly echoing fans' continuing enthusiasm for the films. But they also seem to have exhausted their well of fresh insights. … Continue reading →

by Rhonda Roumani This week, Muslims around the world celebrated the end of one of the most important events of their religious year—the hajj—with Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice. An estimated 2 million Muslims from around the world … Continue reading →

by Judith Weisenfeld On October 30, 2010, a fire destroyed Saint Mary Magdalene Roman Catholic Church in Springfield Gardens, Queens. The local CBS affiliate framed the story with a familiar, formulaic lede: “Fire Destroys Local Church, but not Parishioners' Spirits.” … Continue reading →

Despite smaller staffs, tighter deadlines and shrinking news holes, much of the legacy media produces reliable news around the clock. Some of its work is excellent, revealing vistas that would otherwise be overlooked. This Los Angeles Times piece describes a … Continue reading →

by John Adams “We are heading to a special meeting with a high-ranking Hamas leader to discuss the Israeli – Palestinian conflict from a Palestinian leadership point of view,” said our translator and guide as the 15-passenger van sped through … Continue reading →

by Dalia Hashad This week, while President Obama was in Indonesia trying to repair the damage that the previous administration did to the United State's image in the Muslim world, former President George W. Bush set about trying to rehabilitate … Continue reading →

Sunday's New York Times article on schools' efforts to end bullying seemed an “aw shucks” case-study of the law of unintended consequences. School districts, eager to stop the kind of harassment that led to a recent spate of gay teen … Continue reading →

by Richard Flory What is particularly striking in the aftermath of Tuesday's historic election is that there is no consistent religion storyline. Observers have alternately argued that there is no values or faith story in the 2010 election, that the … Continue reading →

S. Brent Plate Clint Eastwood's latest offering, “Hereafter,” a speculative, cinematic glimpse at what lies at the end of human life, is the latest in a series of recent films that explore and provoke questions about what it means to … Continue reading →