White Supremacy at the Farmers’ Market By Sarah M. Pike Political polarization has been increasing since the election of President Donald Trump, whose xenophobic views have emboldened white supremacists. On college campuses, violent attacks from both the left and the right amidst free speech debates have made headlines. While civic Read more
“Who Art in Heaven,” they/them/their By Anna Mercedes When I was in seminary training to be a pastor, inclusive gender language in worship was all the rage. I was at a progressive Christian school and it was the turn of the millennium. My professors were involved in inclusive language revisions Read more
Learning to Desire Truly: Spirituality in a Post-Truth Age By John Thatamanil Spirituality is everywhere. From steady growth in the ranks of the SBNR (Spiritual But Not Religious) to immense growth in the mindfulness movement, conversations about spirituality have become part of the North American cultural ethos. Still, few seem Read more
What Can We Do About Extinction? By Susannah Crockford There was a block of ice slowly melting on the ground. Beside it stood a motorboat painted bright pink with ‘Join the Rebellion’ in blocky black letters. Four people were chained to the underside of the boat, two on each side. Read more
Courting Climate Justice in Norway: Reflections on the People vs. Arctic Oil Lawsuit By Marion Grau If you want to see climate policy schizophrenia in action, Norway presents an illuminating case. On the one hand, Norway has a long history of environmental policies. Under the Brundtland government, Norway was a Read more
Mauna Kea Matters: An Experiment in Public Engagement By Greg Johnson Mauna Kea matters. Of this much, I’m very sure. But just how it matters, and to whom, is for me an open question and something I am trying to understand. The dispute currently unfolding in Hawai`i absolutely matters to Read more
Snowflakes and Boomers: Does it Have to Be a Shouting Match? By Whitney A. Bauman In his blog post last week, Kocku von Stuckrad argued that we need to (re)establish a tradition of elders. We don’t so much need heroes, but we need to consult our ancestors for wisdom about Read more
We Need Elders, Not Heroes By Kocku von Stuckrad When Barry Lopez’s long-awaited book Horizon came out earlier this year, I read it immediately with increasing excitement and admiration. Twenty-three years after his now-classic Arctic Dreams, Lopez presents us with a thorough reflection on the state of the planet, perceived Read more
It’s Eco-Reformation Day By Lisa E. Dahill Today is Halloween, a fun day for most of the U.S. Here in California, however, it’s the heart of Fire Season, a truly scary time. Fires can rage at any season in California today, we’re told, but Fire Season is when the Santa Read more
Offshore: Descending into the Blue Humanities By Justine M. Bakker Purely coincidently, I started writing this blog on “World Octopus Day,” which occurs every year on October 8—a date that fits the eight-armed creature so remarkably well that one wonders if it has ever been otherwise. It turns out it Read more