Where a century ago liberal Christians (and even some anthropologists) were citing Marx and Bergson in the hope of transforming…
Blinded by the light, or, Why can’t liberals see?
Christianity
An alternate reading of David Wojnarowicz’s ant-covered Christ
David Wojnarowicz's "Fire in My Belly" is an expression not of hostility to the Christian faith but of a deep,…
Crosswise logic
My previous post sought to humble the principle of non-contradiction, and thus the logic of consistency it defines, finding it inadequate for…
Culture, nature, and mediation
Matthew Engelke is right: religion is about mediation. Ironically so, because it is about the divine; but because the divine…
Paul and today’s emerging Christianities
My sense is that the most important cross-fertilization between contemporary Pauline scholarship and trends, like the so-called anthropology of Christianity,…
More than politics: An interview with Charles Villa-Vicencio
As National Research Director for the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Charles Villa-Vicencio was intimately involved in the historic…
‘Tis the season for reason
In this age of overt commercialization of the holiday season---where no sooner have children returned from trick-or-treating than Christmas music…
Landmarks in the critical study of secularism
In September of 2010, Talal Asad, William E. Connolly, Charles Hirschkind, and I met at the annual American Political Science…
The indispensability of form
The salience of ideas and practices that emphasize rupture from previous social settings and modes of thought should not blind…
The many globalizations of Christianity
Globalization, Chalmers Johnson says, is just a new word for what used to be called imperialism. He is partly correct,…