Keeping Duke Ellington Alive in Matter and in Spirit

Vaughn A. Booker African American religious practices of celebrating Duke Ellington, for example, chart the new lives—or afterlives—that these deceased musicians gain from those left to interpret their legacies anew.

Islam and Caring Communities

Shenila Khoja-Moolji Muslim ethics, however, guide us to build caring communities. A caring community does not leave the labor of care to the few; instead, it shares this labor.

You Can’t Theologize a Virus

Anthony B. Pinn However, theodicy never satisfies in the long term, and its failure is even more graphic as the coronavirus devours life. In fact, theodicy is a dangerous consideration as it disrupts reason and threatens to challenge faith. 

Derek Webb Beyond Belief

Phillip Luke Sinitiere If folk music historically has been an artform of creative social critique, then analysis of Webb’s musical art and artistic production more generally can serve as a collective lens through which to peer into the complex threads of contemporary religion, culture, and politics in the United States.

David Wojnarowicz’s Christ: Symbols of Hope, Corruption, and Violence

Ants scurry across a static crucifix as the figure of Jesus Christ surfaces again and again on screen, sandwiched between bowls of blood, a figure masturbating, couples having sex, and conservative Christian groups—all brought together in one film. Jesus Christ makes many appearances in “David Wojnarowicz: Photography & Film”