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Who’s Afraid of Salome? A Biblical Drama that made Opera History
The Metropolitan Opera’s 2024-2025 season is filled with classics and beloved titles mixed with contemporary settings and newer stories. One title in particular has caught my eye: a brand new production of Richard Strauss’s Salome. Bible scholars may recognize the name “Salome” from more than one context: One narrative depicts a follower of Jesus who was present at his crucifixion. Another narrative tells of a young princess’s role in the murder of John the Baptist. Characteristic qualities certainly place these two women apart, but the leading lady of Strauss’s opera takes her queues from the second of the set. Strauss even used the beautiful name, “Salome,” a feminine rendition of…
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Neoliberalism, Social Inequality, and Christianity of Liberation
Introduction Human history is founded on inequality. Religions and their gods were created, among other things, to sacralize social and metaphysical orders based on the qualitative distinction between superiority and inferiority of human beings, as in free and enslaved peoples, men and women, nobles and servants, civilized and barbarians, and so forth. The same happens to almost all types of knowledge and philosophies. In other words, human culture, when emerges, naturalizes or sacralizes human inequality. Rebellion against the naturalization of human inequality is the novelty that transcends, goes beyond the limits of social system and dominant reason, and announces the “good news” to slaves and all the human beings considered…
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Food and interdependence: Responsibility in food donation
Giving food to monks and nuns is a form of practicing generosity (dāna) and this is a custom still present today in Theravāda Buddhist countries. It is a practice that originates from ancient Indian Buddhism, which in turn retained this practice from the Brahmanical traditions of the time of the historical Buddha, where the person renounced or left the social obligations of caring for the family, property, and all social responsibilities to dedicate their lives exclusively to religious practices. This type of contemplative life doesn’t allow for work or an activity that allows you to support yourself, so you depend on the support of other people to feed yourself and…
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Problematizing Whiteness in Religious Scholarship: A Call for Racial Justice
Introduction A recent Twitter thread asked users to “Watch Whiteness Work” by pointing out examples of White Privilege [1] across various contexts (Husky 2023). This raises important questions for religious scholarship regarding whether our academic disciplines may also perpetuate systems of inequality [2] we ostensibly critique. As Christian ethicists and theologians concerned with justice and righteousness, how might our scholarship be vulnerable to racial bias? The study of religion and theology within higher education is responsible for confronting internalized racism within its canon and methods. As womanist scholar Emilie Townes notes, appeals to the Bible and doctrine often supplied the ideological justifications for systems of slavery, segregation, and other evils propagated upon…
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Avatar Discipleship – Who am I engaging with the avatar or the person?
How do you disciple Christians in the metaverse? Is it possible to disciple a person represented by an avatar? Who are you discipling, the avatar or the invisible person it represents? Who are we really engaging with? These are questions often discussed in the church I work with in Virtual Reality (VR). These aren’t just questions that are relevant to VR. According to recent statistics in America[1] over 25 million attend church online. People use the description ‘in person’ for those who attend onsite church, but if we are ‘online’ are we not present ‘in person’ as well? If I attend church via Zoom or YouTube then the experience may…
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Embodiment Spirituality and No Words Theology. Is this what was resurrected? Journal entries and theological reflections from Holy Week 2024.
I am sharing here my journal entries and theological reflections from Holy Week, 2024. When journalling I usually start with a question and then sit quietly and wait for the answer. This is what I wrote. Remind me again. What is Theology? It is the study of the Divine. This, spirituality, and education – from neuro-queering and embodied perspectives – are my academic, professional, and lived experience specialisms and expertise. What do I need to know today, which is Good Friday? On Good Friday we are reminded of the fate which awaits humanitarian and humane humans who challenge the empire, its systems, and the status quo. When enough of us:…
