Steveawiggins

LATEST ARTICLES ( 4578 )

• Super Stition

  

  Elijah is a folkloric character. Despite the common misperception, most of us who study religion know the difference between myth and reality. There are,... Read more

  Posted on 03 June 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Playing Nicaea

  

  Some professors are more creative than mine ever were. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Even today “old school” means getting it done the arduous,... Read more

  Posted on 02 June 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Suit Yourself

  

  I guess I’m going to have to sue myself. In this litigious society I have few options left. Instead of understanding and forgiveness (some of the positive... Read more

  Posted on 01 June 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Sacred Herstory

  

  Have you ever read a book thinking the author was a woman, but later learned that it was written by a man? Or vice-versa? This creates a disturbing kind of... Read more

  Posted on 31 May 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Scholar Universe

  

  One of the resources that editors use to find scholars of obscure fields of study is a website called Scholar Universe. Now, before you all rush to the site... Read more

  Posted on 30 May 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• The Science of G-d

  

  Where, exactly, do science and religion come together? Since both are human mental enterprises, they must at some point at least glance off one another. Read more

  Posted on 29 May 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SCIENCE, SOCIETY, SPIRITUALITY

• To Obey the Scout Law

  

  Society’s prurient interests have been on display again with the intense media blitz concerning Boy Scouts of America and the fraught issue of sexual... Read more

  Posted on 28 May 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Girls Rising

  

  While I was home watching Bruce Almighty, my wife was attending a local screening of the documentary Girl Rising. (There was a good reason for this... Read more

  Posted on 27 May 2013 CULTURE, RELIGION, SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• God Has Left the Theater

  

  When teaching religion at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, I realized that an effective way to engage students was through popular culture. Read more

  Posted on 26 May 2013 RELIGION

• Witching Fiction

  

  Literary fiction is a rich trove of religious thinking. Consuming fiction sustains the soul as well as the mind. Sheri Holman’s Witches on the Road Tonight was... Read more

  Posted on 25 May 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Iconic Book

  

  A recent Associated Press story celebrated the achievement of Phillip Patterson. In an age when we just can’t get enough technology, when we live with, sleep... Read more

  Posted on 24 May 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Inhumane Society

  

  “I’m a member of PETA,” I’ve had more than one wag say, quoting bumper sticker wisdom as if it were profound, upon learning I’m a vegetarian. “People Eating... Read more

  Posted on 23 May 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Oklahoma

  

  The tragedy outside Oklahoma City transcends petty human differences. Tornadoes, no matter how we dress them up, look like the wrath of God incarnate. Read more

  Posted on 22 May 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Heaven Forbid

  

  Cars can be a nuisance—they consume resources, pollute the environment, and have a habit of being very expensive to repair. We’ve been pretty good about taking... Read more

  Posted on 21 May 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Godly Violence

  

  Just a full-term human pregnancy ago, a disturbed young man murdered two grocery store employees in Old Bridge, New Jersey. He then shot himself dead. Read more

  Posted on 20 May 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Divine Election

  

  Jesus, it seems, has given up appearing on tortillas and hedgerows to start endorsing political candidates. Of course, this is not really new news. Read more

  Posted on 19 May 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Holding out for a Hero

  

  Over at Religion Link, a story about superheroes and spirituality was posted recently. I guess it should’ve been clearer to me as a child with his head in the... Read more

  Posted on 18 May 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Evolving Morals

  

  CNN recently interviewed Frans de Waal about his new book, The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism among the Primates. Of course the book immediately... Read more

  Posted on 17 May 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Is Golden

  

  When I grew up I sometimes thought I’d join a monastery. It’s a funny idea since I’m not Catholic and I am happily married. I think what appealed to me most... Read more

  Posted on 16 May 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Running to Stand Still

  

  “You have faith, Professor Barnhardt?” Klaatu asks the scientist in the classic The Day the Earth Stood Still. Barnhardt demurs, stating that curiosity is what... Read more

  Posted on 15 May 2013 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY