Noah Where To Hide

Little Movement Thinks Its Big Moment Has Arrived

RNS' G. Jeffrey MacDonald profiles the Noahide movement in this week's full text article, linked above.

Quote:

"People that have migrated toward the Noachism (or Noahide way) are people that usually come from a fundamentalist background. They take their Bible seriously," says J. David Davis, a former Baptist preacher and a founding figure of the Noahide revival movement that began in the 1980s.

Make Peace, Not Fear

One Church Has Lessons on a House (of God) Divided


RNS' David Briggs looks at one church's response to the liberal-conservative divide in American politics, in this week's full-text article, linked above.

Quote:

The group...found that amid differences in politics and beliefs, "when we seek and share God's values our differences can lead to creative dialogue instead of confrontational disagreement."

Respecting one another also meant being open to change.

The Museum of Modern Muslim Art

Artists Blend American, Muslim Identities on Canvas

RNS' Menachem Wecker looks at a new generation of Muslim-American artists, with their "blend of sacred and secular symbolism," in this week's full text article, linked above.

Quote:

Muslim-American artists are mixing traditional Islamic iconography with all sorts of secular symbols, from iPods to Dora the Explorer to risqué pin-ups of women in full-length abaya robes. And within some Muslim circles, they have generated controversy as they grapple with their various identities as Muslims, artists and citizens.

Let My People In

Faith Groups Oppose New Rules on Religious Worker Visas

New rules in the U.S.' religious worker visa program are under fire from a variety of faith groups, as RNS' Omar Sacirbey reports in this week's full-text article, linked above.

Quote:

"There is not enough evidence to warrant these rule changes," said Ishani Chowdhury, director of the Hindu American Foundation, an advocacy group based in Kensington, Md., a Washington suburb.

Hindu and other religious officials have complained that the new definitions and requirements are written from an almost exclusively Christian perspective that doesn't take into account other religious traditions.

The Most Dangerous of Ideas

John Blake down at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution asks a thought-provoking question to five influential thinkers. Their response?

"Violence in the name of God" -- Richard Land

"Follow our rules or else" -- Wayne Dyer

"My religion is right" -- Rabbi Harold Kushner

"Converting others to your religion" -- Dr. Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im

"A tribal view of God" -- Deepak Chopra

The authors expand on their thoughts here.