Mark Bowden, one of the best narrative journalists at work today, offers an insightful profile of David Simon, the man behind The Wire, the best show on television.
In Missouri and Tennessee, one-third of white evangelical voters voted in Democratic primaries. And, more surprising, in both states they favored Hillary over Obama by overwhelming margins: MO: 54% to 37%; TN: 78% to 12%. The survey also finds that a majority of evangelicals want an agenda that goes beyond abortion and homosexuality.
Allison Schrager writes: It is hard to deny that aid can do harm when given too enthusiastically to countries in need. However, putting the ever-sceptical economist in me aside, the fact remains that I do want to help people in Afghanistan. How can I do this effectively, and without offending my professional sensibilities?
The Bakersfield Californian reports that a woman will preside at the Eucharist in the Diocese of San Joaquin for the first time. … a visiting
Normally, peer review is a valuable step in the publication of scientific research. Academic journals solicit independent experts to assess the reliability of the work. But at Answers Research Journal, the goal is not to ensure that research meets academic standards of scientific inquiry, but rather to ensure that the scholar’s conclusions conform to a literal interpretation of the Bible.
Much of our religious language speaks of an “up there” – words that have now become an anachronism. Can the metaphor hold our religious imagination? I suppose that there is no need for location when it comes to God and prayer, but it helps my praying to think of a direction.
Openness is not gentility in the social arena. It is not polite listening to people with whom we inherently disagree. It is not political or civil or “nice.” It is not even simple hospitality. It is the munificent abandonment of the mind to new ideas, to new possibilities.