Essay
Russia and the Crimean Tatars: The Burdens and Challenges of History
The Russian annexation of Crimea has raised a host of important questions about the fate of the diverse populations on the peninsula. Will Ukrainian-speakers be …
By Eric Lohr
Essay
Marriage Equality and Religious Liberty: Another Chapter in the Story
On April 28, 2014, the United Church of Christ—joined by clergy from Lutheran, Baptist, Unitarian Universalist, and Jewish congregations—and six same-sex couples filed a lawsuit …
By Kent L. Brintnall
Essay
What the Show Cosmos Gets Wrong about Religion—and Science
In its third episode, titled “When Knowledge Conquered Fear,” the new Cosmos reboot, hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, tells the story of the discovery …
By Elizabeth Yale
Essay
Contraception v. Religious Freedom: Hobby Lobby Heads to the Supreme Court
On March 25, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in two religious exemption cases, Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialty Store …
By Tracy Fessenden
Essay
Uganda’s President Will Sign Anti-Gay Bill. How Did the Nation Get to this Point?
On February 14, news reports began to surface that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni planned to sign into law the nation’s draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill, often referred …
By Jason Bruner
Essay
On Compromise and Congressional Brinkmanship
When President Obama gives his State of the Union address tonight, the problem of congressional gridlock will likely be a major theme. Partisanship in Washington …
By David Brockman
Essay
Letters from a Georgia Jail: Anti-Nuclear Activists Await Sentencing
We are truly human when we act responsibly to restore harmony and act with love and compassion to restore truth, transparency and the equitable distribution …
By David Cook
Essay
Texas Textbooks: A Case Study for Creationism’s Staying Power
The Texas textbook wars have finally yielded a win for the Enlightenment. In November, the state school board delayed final approval of a biology textbook …
By Molly Worthen
Essay
In Remembrance: Reading the Christmas Letters of Jean Bethke Elshtain (1941-2013)
This time of year is, for many, a season of hopefulness—of anticipation and celebration of joyous things to come. Yet, as the cards and letters …
By John D. Carlson
Essay
A Judge Weakened Utah’s Anti-Polygamy Law. What Does This Say About Sex, Race, and Religion?
Americans have always found polygamy fascinating, even entertaining. In the nineteenth century, Mormons were stock villains in a plethora of now mercifully forgotten Victorian novels. …
By Nathan B. Oman