Banned Books: Resources and Reflections
Reflections on censorship and the banning of books.
Reflections on censorship and the banning of books.
This is an infographic, which attempts to depict how the conditions of slavery, though it has been abolished, have persisted into the present. It is designed for students and people unfamiliar with the idea that African-descent people in America continue to be re-enslaved in subtle and overt ways. The idea of slavery’s “afterlife” is derives from the work of social scientis
t, Saidiya Hartman.
The first time I heard Billy Graham’s voice I was buried under bed covers, long after I should have been asleep, straining to hear through the earphone of my toy space radio. I had attended Sunday school for a couple of years in those days at the end of the 1950’s. My family didn’t belong …
One of my seminary classmates, thinking that his fellow students had strayed away from the true faith, conducted a survey. He asked, “What is your core belief? State the heart of your faith in one sentence?” Expecting a range of un-orthodox answers, the surveyor tallied up the responses and was startled to discover that his …
I started hearing about a “war on Christmas” about 10 years ago. This news that Christmas was under siege reached me 30 years into my career as a Presbyterian minister. Over these decades, I’ve developed a fine-tuned antenna for any threats to Christian faith. An important part of a pastor’s calling is responsibility for my …
It didn’t take me long into my viewing of “Wonder Woman,” this summer’s mega-hit movie, to understand why it has resonated so deeply. The adventure that Diana undertakes is a fundamental human quest. We needn’t be distracted by Wonder Woman’s DC comic book origins or the video game quality of the combat at the movie’s …
I finally got around to viewing the 1997 Cannes Grand Prix and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film , “Life is Beautiful.” The movie begins lightly with the antics of the leading male, Guido Orefice, played by Roberto Benigni. Guido is a young Jewish shop-keeper in a picturesque Italian town. Guido, through fun trickery, wins the attention and love of …
I’ll begin with full disclosure: I admire Colin Kaepernick’s courageous willingness to place his reputation and athletic career in jeopardy in order to carry out his Take-a-Knee protest during the playing of the national anthem at the beginning of NFL football games. Now, I’m no spectator sports fan. Football aficionados may grieve when the focus …