And Yet . . . We Hope
History has shown us that humanity has the propensity to persist despite catastrophe. At Harvard Divinity School, we must focus on what is in our control to build toward a better future for all. By Marla F. Frederick
Category: Featured
Empire and Epistemicide
Precisely at the times when Jews and Christians were most experiencing the violence of the Roman Empire, some of Rome’s rulers were most vociferously claiming to bring and keep peace. By Annette Yoshiko Reed
Sewing Together at a Hindu Temple in Sindh, Pakistan
The location of a sewing class for young Hindu and Muslim women in the Jhoolelal Mandir shapes their sometimes fraught social interactions. By Ghazal Asif Farrukhi
What Is Midrash?
A terminological inquiry can shed entirely new light on midrashic hermeneutics, revealing a depth and structure that often go unnoticed. By Ishay Rosen-Zvi
Rethinking ‘Tribalism’
Learning from Indigenous ways of knowing and being might help all sides of the political spectrum to become less polarized and rancorous. By Devaka Premawardhana
Between the Lines
Recent interventions within the field of Islamic studies require a shift in focus to the lives and practices of Muslims, without eschewing attention to texts. By Hussein Rashid And Huma Mohibullah
On Assignment, Virgil Rescues Dante from the Wilderness
A Divine Comedy reading group with two artist friends deepens the author’s understanding of Dante’s transcendent friendship with Virgil. By Diane Mehta
Iconographies of Catastrophe and Lament
Hurricane María and the discussions that followed it prompted reflections on images and meanings of “apocalypse” in times of ecological crisis. By Mayra Rivera
Mother’s Tales, God’s Stories
The silent and implicit aspects of Qur’anic narratives elicit emotional responses from the reader that facilitate the reconstruction of the story world. By Zahra Moballegh
How to Teach about Antisemitism
The five W’s—Who, What, Where, When, and Why—guide this teacher’s thinking about crucial questions to consider when educating about historical and contemporary antisemitism. By Joshua Krug
On Waiting, Tending Life, and Comedy at God’s Scale
A conversation with Courtney Sender, MTS ’18, on her first novel, a braided story collection titled In Other Lifetimes: All I’ve Lost Comes Back to Me. By Kevin Madigan
The Spiritual Infrastructure of the Future
Many traditional religious denominations are withering, but there can be liberation if we embrace refitting the old systems in new ways. By Sue Phillips
The Dancing Monk and the Rhythm of Divine Life
Thelonious Monk’s jazz aesthetic can help us reframe theological thinking, generate new categories, and envision radically inclusive modes of being in the world. By Raymond Carr
Memory, History, and the Ethics of Reparations
Henry Ossawa Tanner’s global pursuit of reconciliation is a cautionary tale if we are going to take corporate and civic responsibility for the crime of enslavement. By Terrence L. Johnson
Dis/appearing
Instead of a theodicy of progress, we need to enact a “hauntodicy of blackness” by staying with the dead and not moving on. By Biko Mandela Gray
The Glory of the Coming of the Lord
The last battle of Revelation informs and inspires the public sphere, whether or not the polarizing rhetoric explicitly refers to the Christian faith. By Austin Bogues
Following the Gaian Way
A new religious philosophy aims to help humans understand again that they are part of and utterly dependent on the living Earth. By Erik Assadourian
Wisdom of Webs
An interview with Sarah J. Karikó on studying spiders and exploring our interconnectedness. By Natalia Schwien
Rethinking Weeds
Greater awareness of these ubiquitous healers can have implications for ecological restoration, reverence for nature, regenerative living, and environmental justice. By Vanessa Chakour
Flora, Fauna, Fish, and Fowl
For Ojibwe-speaking communities, Creation is ongoing and cultural teachings include humility, respecting natural boundaries, and replenishing resources to support biodiversity. By Tammy Lynn Pertillar
