Religion: A Culture of Hip
Looking at young, hip, places of worship – from evangelical Christianity to Mormonism – Sarah Pulliam Bailey writes: “We are supposed to be shocked that people who dress hip, listen to cool music and reference cultural artifacts would be found in a church.” Throughout, she points to recent articles and books trying to make sense of a younger generation of people of faith.
Immigration, Christian History
“Strangers in the Bible Belt and the Holy Land” provides a personal look at challenges facing undocumented immigrants in Alabama, coupled with the Christian history of being wanderers and called to be Good Samaritans. It begins: “The night before a federal hearing on Alabama’s new immigration law, Alonso, a 19-year-old from Mexico, retold the parable of the Good Samaritan. ‘So you see somebody on the side of the road, nearly dying… Do you ask, ‘Are you okay?’ Or, ‘Are you legal?’”
Wordless Storytelling
Telling stories secondhand can be difficult, especially when trying to convey an experience of intense emotion. Sometimes, as is the case with Ordinary Witnesses, it might be better to not use words at all. In a retelling to stories of torture, some performance artists are using lights, sounds, and movements to convey a deep message where words fall short.
A Concise Case for Occupy Wall Street
This recent piece surprised me for its keen and concise description of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Recommended for anyone still unsure or hesitant toward it. “The OWS people are the social equivalent of somebody running through the halls clanging on a lid and yelling that the building is on fire. He doesn't want everyone else to start clanging lids, he wants them to get out of the building. It's not a question of how much people 'support' him, he's sounding the alarm. When he says 'we are in danger' he means not simply the 'we' who are clanging on lids, but everybody in the building.”
Secularism/ Millennialism
One out of every four Millennials claim no religious affiliation, according to a new Pew Research study. What might this mean for the future of politics, religion? GOOD editor Nona Willis Aronowitz takes on the former in a brief write-up on what is being called the biggest number of ‘secularists’ in history.
When Rhinos Fly
More than 350 rhinos have been poached this year, leaving a little more 4,000 left in the wild, according to recent estimates. Currently, some of these endangered mammals are being relocated via helicopter to less populated areas of South Africa as part of the Black Rhino range Expansion Project.
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