“The American post-Enlightenment contractual idea of marriage—that is, marriage is what we decide it is—is an incredibly powerful idea that haunts the minds of American Catholics…The under-65 crowd is much more into contractual understandings of marriage than covenantal understandings of marriage.” Watch more of our interview with Father James Halstead, who teaches a course on marriage at DePaul University in Chicago.
Author Archives: Fred Yi
Pope Francis in the U.S.; America’s Journey for Justice
Excitement builds for American Catholics ahead of the pope’s arrival Tuesday for five busy days in Washington, New York, and Philadelphia; and a coalition of social justice, religious, and civil rights groups march from Selma, Alabama to Washington, DC to call for an end to discrimination and economic inequality.
Pope Francis in the U.S.
Pope Francis arrives in the US on Tuesday, September 22nd, for five busy days in Washington, New York, and Philadelphia. Managing editor Kim Lawton asks American Catholics about the beliefs that shape the pope’s view of the world, and Tom Roberts, editor-at-large of National Catholic Reporter, and Stephen Schneck, director of the Institute of Policy Research and Catholic Studies at the Catholic University of America, join host Bob Abernethy in the studio for a conversation about their expectations for the pope’s trip.
America’s Journey for Justice
On August 1st, the NAACP and a broad coalition of social justice, religious, and civil rights groups began a 1,000 mile march to call attention to the issues of voting rights, economic inequality, and racial discrimination. We spoke with NAACP president Cornell Brooks, who led the march, and Rabbi Bruce Lustig of the Washington Hebrew Congregation after the marchers arrived in Washington, DC.
Religious Freedom Versus Rule of Law; Battle Over Bears Ears; New Jewish Prayer Book
The case of Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis and same-sex marriage has raised questions about the limits of religious freedom; residents in San Juan County, Utah are fighting a proposal to create a national monument that protects Native American land; and Jews in the Reform movement begin using a new prayer book for the High Holy Days
Religious Freedom Versus Rule of Law
The high-profile case of Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue a marriage license certificate to a same-sex couple, has raised questions about law, conscience, and religious liberty. Can exercising religious freedom trump obeying the law? Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Roger Severino, director of the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at the Heritage Foundation, discuss the Kentucky case with host Bob Abernethy.
The Battle Over Bears Ears
Twenty-five Indian tribes want the federal government to create a national monument called Bears Ears to protect nearly two million acres of land sacred to Native Americans in southeastern Utah. But, as Lucky Severson reports, local residents want at least some of the land kept available for development and recreational use.
A New Jewish Prayer Book
As the Jewish High Holy Days begin at sundown on Sunday, September 13, Jews in the Reform movement begin using the first revision in 40 years to their holiday prayer book, which now includes language more friendly to younger Jews, non-Jews, and those who identify as LGBT, as well as poetry, meditations, and artwork. “We really wanted to create a prayer book that is inclusive of the full range of who is in our community today,” says the book’s executive editor, Rabbi Hara Person, director of publications for the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
Rabbi Hara Person Extended Interview
“We come every year. We sit in these pews, and yet every year our lives have changed, and we can really reflect on that change from year to year. Who is with us this year? Who was with us last year who’s not with us this year? Who’s going to be with us next year?” Watch more of our interview with Rabbi Hara Person, executive editor of the new Mishkan Hanefesh Jewish prayer book for the High Holidays.
Rabbi Andrew Busch Extended Interview
Watch more of our interview with Rabbi Andrew Busch of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation about Reform Judaism’s new prayer book for the High Holy Days.
