For those of us who are old enough and were somewhat “woke” back then, the COVID-19 pandemic invokes hidden emotions that remind one of the painful early years of the AIDS crisis. There are differences, certainly, because this pandemic is directly affecting a broader demographic,
For those who are or will be impacted by the coronavirus — either physically or economically, directly or indirectly — mine and the Whosoever staff’s prayers go out to you. This is a difficult, challenging and frightening time for all. Support from our friends and
The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. (T.S. Eliot) On the first day of 2020, the first day of a new decade — having just relaunched Whosoever after a five-year dormancy
For all their bluster, it’s becoming apparent that anti-LGBTQ+ Christians don’t want a debate. They’ve discovered that we could win it. So rather than directly challenge us, they pretend we don’t exist. The sound and fury of the “religious freedom” brouhaha comes down to that.
“The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church,” wrote second century Christian theologian Tertullian. And during his June 30th mass this year, Pope Francis agreed: “The Church grows thanks to the blood of the martyrs. This is the beauty of martyrdom.” There’s a
In 2002, when Pulitzer Prize winner, Chris Hedges published War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, he wrote in depth about the warrior culture that is the USA. “The communal march against an enemy generates a warm, unfamiliar bond with our neighbors, our community,
More than a half century ago, historian Daniel J. Boorstin — a Ph.D. dissertation-adviser of mine — taught us to distinguish between events and pseudo-events. The latter, he noted, were staged to get media attention whether anything event-ful had happened or not. On the border
It’s hardly news anymore that a growing number of Americans are checking the box “none” on surveys of religious belief. According to Pew Research Center polling, one-fifth of the public and a third of those under thirty are unaffiliated with any religious entity. Among those
“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain. (Exodus 20:7) “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16) When they stop talking about the Bible and actually read it, people are surprised to find that there is
There are to be no second-class citizens in the United States! We established a long time ago that “separate is not equal,” and all American citizens are entitled to enjoy equality under the law. Any society that presumes to refer to itself as “decent” and