As we head into a New Year, it might be nice to pause over a bit of good news recently announced by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The SPLC, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (DPS), and the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center worked together to significantly change procedures that affect more than […]
Blog
The SBL and its Annual Meeting: Why They Matter to the General Public
The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) is one of the premier professional organizations for scholars and students of religion around the world. While “religion” is often equated in the public’s mind with church-going or participation in other religions such as Judaism and Islam, it is also a discipline bounded by scholarly and ethical standards, evidence, […]
Random Christmas Thoughts
Three days before Christmas: a good time to share some random thoughts on the reason for the holiday – the man Jesus with the title “Christ.” Jesus the man lived nearly 2,000 years ago as a Jewish subject in the Roman Empire. After he died, his followers kept his memory alive in a myriad of […]
Gospel Manuscripts, Bacteria and Livestock: Science Meets Religion through DNA Technology
A new process for recovering DNA has led to findings that significantly “marry” two very disparate areas: church history, archaeology and religion with research on livestock in earlier eras. The report by Zach Zorich in Archaeology magazine (November/December 2017 issue) outlines this exciting “marriage.” Parchment – the material from which some ancient illuminated manuscripts were […]
Hate in the White House: A New Tool from the SPLC
Is it not tragic that we must speak of hate in the People’s House, our beloved White House in the seat of our national government? Unfortunately, we must call a spade a spade: the Trump Administration, from the top down, fosters hatred, bigotry, and animosity – citizen against citizen – on a regular basis. Donald […]
Business Meets Social Responsibility
It is possible – and highly desirable – for the business community to have an ethos of social responsibility, in addition to profit motivation. The mission of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), a statewide, nonprofit business association, is “to foster a business ethic in Vermont that recognizes the opportunity and responsibility of the business […]
Important Hearing Aid Bill Signed
One positive legislative achievement has somewhat miraculously taken place under President Trump: he signed a bill into law that should benefit millions of Americans. The Food and Drug Administration Reauthorization Act of 2017 was signed on August 18, 2017, and includes a bipartisan provision on over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids introduced by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) […]
Revisiting the CFPB
Now that the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Richard Cordray, has announced his resignation, it’s all the more important to raise our voices in support of the agency. Please take a look at an earlier post on this, if you haven’t seen it already This agency works for YOU but is under […]
“What do you Pay for Health Care?”
“Employer-provided health care is the biggest obstacle to grassroots movement for single-payer in America. Because if you ask most Americans, ‘What do you pay for health care a year?’ They’ll go, ‘I don’t know. My employer provides it. I just have a little bit taken out of my check.’” This was former Vermont Governor Peter […]
Social Justice Energy in Vermont and New Hampshire: The Work of People of Faith
In August 2017, Vermont Interfaith Action (VIA) held its Second Annual Statewide Convention in Randolph, Vermont. VIA is “a faith-based, grassroots coalition of congregations that transforms ordinary people into empowered and engaged citizens. Our goal is to create the hope, power, knowledge, and political will needed to make compassion and social justice a reality for […]