Religion

Sacrifice

An eccentric monk’s singular scrap cathedral reveals the chaos and genius of his mind.

The Women Who Speak For the Gods

Despite decades of persecution and discrimination, shamanism, Korea's oldest belief system, still maintains its hold on the national psyche.

Lead Me On

Both holy and wholly her own, Amy Grant was the soundtrack to my rebellion. When my church rejected her, what I heard was, "You can't be a believer and a woman who wants more." 

Jesus Take the Reins

In the fast-growing cowboy church movement, the trappings of traditional worship are eschewed to entice people through the door, dung-covered boots and all.

Heavens to Betsy

The DeVos family believes “patriotism and politics are inseparable from Christianity.” I grew up in the same church as the education secretary: her flaws run deeper than religion.

The Meaning of Allahu Akbar

When I hear the significance of the two words twisted by those too paralyzed with fear to understand their meaning, I think about all they encompass for my family and my friends.

Southern Golems

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, it threatened to wash away a major part of the American South's Jewish history—a tough notion to sustain and preserve even in the best of times.

Theological Scars

My loss of God occurred soon after I got to divinity school. I still can't decide if that was the least likely of places for it to happen or the only place in the world where it was possible.