By Christy Cobb Theater has been one of my passions since childhood. I acted in my first play (Alice in Alice in Wonderland) when I was in 5th grade and following that performance, theater became an important part of my life. In high school I performed in several productions and in college I pursued a […]
By Jacqueline Small The Church of England’s decision this week to permit women to become bishops is a welcome change from recent news stories about the contentious relationship between Christian hierarchies and women of faith. With the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints excommunicating Kate Kelly last month because she has advocated for […]
Since a German regional court in Cologne ruled in the summer of 2012 that the circumcision of a Muslim boy constituted “grievous bodily harm,” a movement was born that calls on governments across Europe to legislatively protect “genital autonomy.” The European debate is characterized by the fact that, unlike in the U.S., the majority of […]
In the past, I’ve shared my thoughts about celebrating Mother’s Day. Today, I find myself considering very similar gender based issues on Father’s Day. In a single thought, I’m not a fan of Hallmark Holidays that reinforce gender divisions. Instead, I hope we can use these moments to reflect more deeply on the moral act […]
It’s spring time! Time for young love, allergies—and commencement. Last week, I once again put on my academic regalia. In terms of cost-per-wear, it is my most expensive item of clothing except for my wedding dress. I wear my regalia only at opening convocation in the fall and at closing convocation in the spring. Otherwise […]
In thinking of the deep, wordless sorrow a mother hopes never to know, but may come to know too intimately through twist of sedimented reasons, mistakes, and confluences of what ifs…I was reminded of these words from a song, “In the wind we hear their laughter In the rain we see their tears Hear their […]
Lately, it seems the news is plagued by stories of sexism and violence related to young women and girls globablly and in the U.S. While I think we all need to express collective outrage at such blatant and systemic acts of gender-based oppression and violence, we also need to see the daily impact of sexism […]
Valentine ’s Day has been civilized and capitalized, hallmarked and disneyfied, all in an attempt to clean up love and signify sexuality into a compartmentalized relationship standard, tied nicely with an over romanticized bow. As a cradle Catholic, the veneration of saints has been part of my religious heritage. I still remember elementary school projects […]
by Katey Zeh Having grown up in a Protestant tradition, I had never really given Mary much thought. If anything, I saw her as a kind of troubling figure for women, embodying passivity, purity, asexuality. But now, as someone who spends her days thinking and praying and theologizing about maternal health, I realize that there […]
A hand-written message entitled “How are you?” was posted on a South Korean university campus by a male student on December 10, 2013. In his posting, the student asked if anyone can truly be okay under the current social, political, and economic situation in South Korea: no apology over the National Intelligence Service’s interference with […]