Category: Timely

"Radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith."

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The bishops have taken nearly four years to plan their renovation of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.  The new oversight and changes come without input from the Women Religious.  The New York Times wrote yesterday:

The sisters were also reprimanded for making public statements that “disagree with or challenge the bishops, who are the church’s authentic teachers of faith and morals.” During the debate over the health care overhaul in 2010, American bishops came out in opposition to the health plan, but dozens of sisters, many of whom belong to the Leadership Conference, signed a statement supporting it — support that provided crucial cover for the Obama administration in the battle over health care.

Read National Catholic Reporter’s thorough coverage here. Continue Reading →

“Radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.”

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The bishops have taken nearly four years to plan their renovation of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.  The new oversight and changes come without input from the Women Religious.  The New York Times wrote yesterday:

The sisters were also reprimanded for making public statements that “disagree with or challenge the bishops, who are the church’s authentic teachers of faith and morals.” During the debate over the health care overhaul in 2010, American bishops came out in opposition to the health plan, but dozens of sisters, many of whom belong to the Leadership Conference, signed a statement supporting it — support that provided crucial cover for the Obama administration in the battle over health care.

Read National Catholic Reporter’s thorough coverage here. Continue Reading →

So Long, Rowan Williams

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What does Rowan Williams’s resignation mean for American Anglicans?

By Daniel Schultz

Word reached us lately that the eyebrows of the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, had decided to step down at the age of 61, apparently taking the attached primate with them into an early retirement, or at least a return to the academic life as Master of Magdalene College. Perhaps not coincidentally, a little while later it came out that the Church of England was set to reject the Anglican Covenant, Williams’ pet project to bind together the far-flung theologies of the Anglican Communion in some way or another. Nobody was ever quite sure how. In any case, a defeat like this must have been hard to bear, even for Williams’ ordinarily indefatigable—not to mention gravity-defying—eyebrows. Little wonder he (and they) decided to light out for Oxford (update: Cambridge per the comments) while the getting was good.

What does Williams’ departure and the arrival of his successor mean for the average Christian in the United States? As with so much in the world of the church, the answer is: it depends.

At the moment, the bookmakers favor John Sentamu, the Ugandan-born Archbishop of York, to replace Williams. But it’s not by much: Sentamu averages about a 50-50 shot from the houses willing to accept a wager on his ascension. Continue Reading →

TransFaith, TransWeb

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Becky Garrison: The Miss Universe Organization’s decision to change their rules so that transgender women can compete appears to signify a growing acceptance of trans individuals (GLAAD and other groups had admonished the organization). However, statistics from the Transgender Europe’s Trans Murder Monitoring project, noting more than 800 reported murders of trans people in the last four years, indicates this shifting is not universal.  But the internet helps.

As a growing sign of the increased visibility of the trans community, academic, author and activist Helen Boyd, noted that one can now find over a hundred transgender related blogs. In addition, this community also connects with each other via Facebook, Twitter, Live Journal and other social media tools. Continue Reading →

Restricting Free Speech or Promoting Hate?

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Becky Garrison:  Even though the Family Research Council was designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in 2010, their spokesperson, Tony Perkins, continues to grace cable network news programs like MSNBC’s “Hardball With Chris Matthews.” In light of the fact that Perkins has been a guest on the station 23 times since the SPLC issued their findings, Faithful America designed a TV ad they hoped to run on MSNBC calling the network to cease booking Tony Perkins. As reported by The Advocate, MSNBC chose not to run the ad. According to an MSNBC spokesman, “We have many guests from a variety of viewpoints who all play roles in the political process. The views of our guests are not those of MSNBC.” Continue Reading →

Easter Riot

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Ashley Baxstrom: It’s a curious culture we live in when a children’s event has to be cancelled because people are acting belligerently.

It’s troubling even – or maybe especially – when it’s a religious children’s event. A religious children’s event that’s supposed to be a joyous celebration. A religious children’s event that’s supposed to be a joyous celebration about a bunny (or, you know, Jesus).

Continue Reading →

The Gender & Sexual Politics of End of Life Care, April 10

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I’ll be on a panel with the amazing Susan Gerbino, Amber Hollibaugh, Ai-Jen Poo and Robert Campbell on April 10.  Come say hi.

The Gender and Sexual Politics of End of Life Care
April 10, Tuesday
6 to 8 pm

Performance Studies Studio
21 Broadway, 6th Floor, Room 612 Continue Reading →

Jews and Black Baseball, March 21

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Join us at the NYU Bookstore on Wednesday, March 21, for another event in our Revealer Reading Series:

March, 21 2012 | 5:00 – 6:30pm

726 Broadway, New York

THE REVEALER READING SERIES

Out of Left Field: Jews and Black Baseball (2011, Oxford)

REBECCA ALPERT (Temple University) will read from her new book which explores how Jewish sports entrepreneurs, political radicals, and a team of black Jews from Belleville, Virginia called the Belleville Grays–the only Jewish team in the history of black baseball–made their mark on the segregated world of the Negro Leagues.

Respondent: JUDITH WEISENFELD (Princeton University).

Co-sponsor: NYU Bookstore Continue Reading →

Free To Be You and Me

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Ashley Baxstrom:  The Swiss upper house on Monday buried a motion to ban the burqa, which had passed the lower house in September of 2011 by a margin of 101 to 77.

The proposal, dubbed “Down with masks,” could have eventually banned full-face veils including the Muslim burqa from public transportation or government buildings. Proposed by SVP (Swiss People’s Party) representative Oskar Freysinger – of the same party that lead a 2009 campaign to prevent the construction of new minarets – the ban followed similar movements in France, the Netherlands and Belgium, countries which have banned veils or are considering such measures.

Freysinger has said in his proposal that the ban would improve public security, but a statement on the Islamic Central Council of Switzerland’s website argued that such a ban was discrimination against a religious group. Furthermore, they argued, it would have a negative affect on the Swiss tourist industry by preventing women from the Gulf from taking the train; Lake Geneva is a popular destination for wealth. Continue Reading →

"Writing in Water" Screening, March 6

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PREVIEW SCREENING
WRITING IN WATER  水书 
A film on the social life of calligraphy” 书法的集体生活
(42 min., Angela Zito 司徒安director)

Tuesday, March 6, 6:00PM
NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Department of Cinema Studies
721 Broadway, 6th Floor, Michelson Theater
Free and open to the public.

Seating is limited and is available first-come, first-seated.
* * * * * Followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker. * * * * * Continue Reading →