After a month in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I am still baffled by the lack of fenced yards. When living in the Republic of Texas and the California Republic, I would have erected a fence before fixing a leaky roof. But here in the cradle of US freedom, there are not the same privatist hangups. … Continue reading Reflections in the Frost: Reading America’s Borderland
For a moment can we put aside images of a god who would sacrifice a child to save the world or destroy the world save for one family? Whatever one makes of such images, we cease to be human if their imagery fails to haunt us.
A space dedicated to discuss the craft and content of teaching in the fields of Religious Studies and Theology.
I have never really felt comfortable with the presumed division between teaching and scholarship. The challenges and insights of my students inspire me to research. In fact, I do my best work after my ideas are have been vetted in the classroom. My primary area of study is the anthropology or social construction of scriptures. … Continue reading When Texts Sell
There's no way of getting around it. Some student will ask me why I don't cover "X" religion in my survey course. It happens all the time. And I usually tell them how, given our limited time together, we can only cover so many traditions. Unfortunately that will appease most students. But I hope by … Continue reading To Exclude or Not To Exclude: The Politics of the World’s Religions Syllabus
