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“I hope some day I’ll start my blogging again and can speak proudly about my thoughts, my belief or nonbelief, my thoughts about everything like religion, politics and philosophy. And that will only be possible in a truly secular Bangladesh—freedom of speech, equal rights for everyone. I know we have to suffer a lot for this dream. But we have to fight for it.”

Having been taught all their lives that eternal torment is an essential element of Christian belief, my students were, to say the least, surprised at the presence of a universalist strand of thought in the theological tradition—especially coming from such theological heavyweights. What was most surprising to me, though, was their reaction to the teaching: any hint of universal salvation for them negated the whole point of Christianity.

What seemed to propel the confusion saturating the media’s initial coverage of Aaron Alexis was the role of religion and, more specifically, the profile on Buddhists. Why would a reporter expect a person of another religion to “pick up a weapon and kill twelve people,” but not a Buddhist?

A conversation with Teresa MacBain on her move from pastoring Christians to guiding the formation of godless communities at Harvard.

How do we balance King’s dream with McNair’s nightmare in our supposedly post-racial and now-digital age? We still live in a country of freedom dreams and violent nightmares.

Which side in Egypt is currently on the side of the angels and which not? One likes to assume that in any, particularly political, conflict the good guys can be easily separated from the bad guys; ordinarily the former is assumed to play by the rules of the game…

In his UN speech on Iran, Israel’s PM attempted to force a zero-sum game of destroying the opposition by force.

We gathered in protest because Eddie Fox has been a forceful voice admonishing the United Methodist Church to maintain its current positions on homosexuality—that “homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” The UMC position denies non-celibate LGBT people ordination while refusing to bless their loving relationships, and forbids its clergy to officiate at same-sex weddings.

Just as the revelation that Teresa MacBain falsely represented her educational background shouldn’t become an excuse for atheist bashing, neither is it acceptable to act as if attending DDS would have drastically altered MacBain’s path—though of course that is always a possibility.

“I find that really hurtful that as a woman who’s been a member my whole life who’s faithfully attended, paid my tithing, held a calling—that the fact that I don’t have a Y chromosome would prevent me from being allowed to sit before my prophet and listen to his words.”