The Conversation
Sister Frances Carr, left, and Brother Arnold Hadd of the Shaker Village sing during a rehearsal on Sept. 13, 1995. AP Photo/Adam Nadel

Why the legacy of Shakers will endure

Joanne M. Pierce, College of the Holy Cross

The Shakers prioritized harmony and a simple lifestyle. They were among the earliest proponents of gender equality.
A woman stands near an exhibit of photographs of victims of the Holocaust called the ‘Klarsfeld Pillars’ in New York. Mike Segar/Reuters

Exploring the complexities of forgiveness

Yerachmiel Gorelik, Colorado State University

Can the Nazis be forgiven? A rabbi explains why this question needs a more profound examination of some of Judaism's deepest ethical mores and theological beliefs
Students protesting on campus in Davis, California, following the election of Donald Trump. Max Whittaker/Reuters

What’s the history of sanctuary spaces and why do they matter?

Elizabeth Allen, University of California, Irvine

Students and faculty are demanding universities declare themselves sanctuary campuses. Historically, sanctuary offered both legal and moral protection for the vulnerable.
Protesters block a highway in near Cannon Ball, North Dakota. AP Photo/James MacPherson

How Standing Rock became a site of pilgrimage

Rosalyn R. LaPier, Harvard University

Thousands of people, both those within Native American communities and their non-Native allies, felt called to go to Standing Rock. What was the motivation?
Youths hold hands for a prayer during a gathering at sunset outside the Christian Fellowship Church in Benton, Kentucky. David Goldman/AP

How a new generation is changing evangelical Christianity

Richard Flory, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Younger evangelicals have a very different view of their faith.Their perspective on issues such as immigration and economic inequality differs widely from that of the religious right.
Homeschooling is a growing trend in America. Children learning at Woodlands Nature Station in Kentucky. Land Between the Lakes KY/TN

Here’s how homeschooling is changing in America

Kyle Greenwalt, Michigan State University

The number of homeschoolers in America is growing. Who are these new homeschoolers and what's the impact on the public school system?
Palestinian men pray in the Arab East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-amid. Ammar Awad/Reuters

Is Islam incompatible with modernity?

Asma Afsaruddin, Indiana University, Bloomington

Religion and modernity need not be at odds with one another, and many leading Muslim thinkers are plumbing early texts to promote progressive ideas.

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And so by fateful chance the Negro folk-song – the rhythmic cry of the slave – stands to-day not simply as the sole American music, but as the most beautiful expression of human experience born this side the seas.” W.E.B. DuBois in The Souls of Black Folk

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An April 30, 1966 file photo of King Jr. addressing a rally in Birmingham, Alabama, AP Photo/JT, File

What shaped King’s prophetic vision?

Kenyatta R. Gilbert, Howard University

Martin Luther King Jr. used a prophetic voice in his preaching -- a hopeful voice that addressed human tragedy. But it was the black clerics who came before him, who helped King develop that voice.
The lyrical beauty of Arabic inspired many poets, writers. Land Rover MENA

What’s missing in the teaching of Islam

Kishwar Rizvi, Yale University

The teaching of Islam is often limited to its religious practice. How Christians, Jews and Muslims borrowed freely from each other in the realm of art, music, and literature is seldom discussed.
Accepting grief is important for moving toward hope. Shanon Wise

Why there is no healing without grief

Timothy Beal, Case Western Reserve University

After Donald Trump's victory, a scholar says the biblical prophets can help show us the way forward: Just as there is no peace without justice, there is no healing without grief.
A woman waits behind a Cuban flag for the arrival of Fidel Castro’s funeral procession in Esperanza, Cuba. AP Photos/Natacha Pisarenko

Religion shapes Cuba despite Castro’s influence

Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado, University of Miami

Under Fidel Castro, Cuba declared itself as an atheist state. Castro's relationship with religion, however, was far more complex. It left a deep impact on the religious identity of Cuba.
Humility might have gone out of politics. But why does it matter? Charles Mostoller/Reuters

Why America needs the virtues of humility

Christopher Beem, Pennsylvania State University

At a time when politics is showing its most divisive side, a scholar argues that embracing humility could help us deal with hidden biases.

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  2. Even before sanctuary cities, here’s how black Americans protected fugitive slaves
  3. How distrust of unbelievers runs deep in American history
  4. What is the true meaning of mercy?
  5. Songs of worship: Why we sing to the Lord

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