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Archive: Katharine Henderson
No safe way for prophets
Rep. Giffords is a new kind of leader who brings the right stuff to help heal our nation. What can we learn from her example?
By Katharine Henderson | January 13, 2011; 12:34 PM ET | Comments (2)
All God's children have a place in the choir
The debate in America about whether or not lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people should be given all the rights that other Americans have is a theological debate. Just like when our country was debating whether or not I am equal to a man - or less than.
By Katharine Henderson | October 15, 2010; 01:07 PM ET | Comments (7)
Building mosque can be a redemptive act
More than a stone monument in honor of those who died, this initiative, perfectly located near Ground Zero, can be a living memorial for human beings from many faith traditions who gather to do the hard work of deep engagement, appreciating difference, finding common ground and acting upon shared goals.
By Katharine Henderson | August 17, 2010; 11:01 AM ET | Comments (2)
Trouble the waters. Heal the world
Our strategy for healing the world is to equip bold and resilient leaders who embody the moral courage for which our world hungers, who can rise to the challenge of this hour. And there is no separating social justice from this challenge.
By Katharine Henderson | April 16, 2010; 12:00 PM ET | Comments (2)
God and foreign policy: From the frontlines to Embassy Row
Religion is a critical ally that U.S. foreign policy ignores at its peril. President Obama was right to promote a deeper engagement of foreign policy and religion in Cairo recognizing the importance of religious allies in politics, human rights, aid and peacemaking across the globe. The greatest challenge, however, will not be to enact this at the highest levels of diplomacy but how effectively to engage players at the grassroots where people live.
By Katharine Henderson | February 25, 2010; 06:25 PM ET | Comments (1)
Playing with people's lives on Super Bowl Sunday
I do not want to make an American Idol contest for "best ad" out of these issues. Because, in the end, such ads simplify and cheapen to 30 seconds of sound bite human experiences of enormous complexity and anguish.
By Katharine Henderson | February 5, 2010; 04:59 PM ET | Comments (5)
Year of Obama and Avatar
The same wise instinct in the American voters that brought us Obama is the reason that Avatar will likely become the highest-grossing movie of all time. Both help us live out the myth of difference that will in the end either kill us or save us
By Katharine Henderson | December 28, 2009; 12:19 PM ET | Comments (43)
Bring on the cacophony of sound!
To expect God to be cribbed and confined only to the sounds we know, like church bells, seems blasphemous. For in such acts we are making God small and in only our own image.
By Katharine Henderson | December 4, 2009; 04:18 PM ET | Comments (75)
Religion is not the problem, but it can help ease the pain
Some of us are working for the day when the divided loyalties under scrutiny will not be whether to defend one's nation or to kill a co-religionist, but whether to kill or not kill another human being at all. In the meantime, barring people from the military on religious grounds is not the answer. Intelligence and vigilance that surface terrorism, extremism and psychological instability are.
By Katharine Henderson | November 13, 2009; 04:32 PM ET | Comments (1)
Health care, counseling for all in the valley of the shadow of death
In some moments, it's the right time to die. In others, it's the right time to extend life. There are no easy answers. What I know for sure is that if ever there is a time when individuals and families need wise counsel, it is times like these. Everyone deserves end-of-life counseling. It is time for our nation to provide it.
By Katharine Henderson | November 6, 2009; 08:39 AM ET | Comments (3)
Throw-away lives
Where education, including religious education is insufficient to shape moral character, federal legislation must be the force to stay violence. Hatred is taught and needs to be unlearned. As long as hate crimes are not named by society, and called out as such, they become normalized.
By Katharine Henderson | October 22, 2009; 11:44 AM ET | Comments (4)
Weapons of Mass Demonization
Perhaps this is the new parable of engagement--a Global Zero moment that will put the genie of nuclear weapons back in the bottle for good.
By Katharine Henderson | October 5, 2009; 08:25 AM ET | Comments (0)
Religion is Risky Business
Despite the temptation some might feel to arm themselves with ammunition in defense, I firmly believe guns have no place in our churches, synagogues or mosques. This does not mean we are called to be defenseless victims. But it means that, as faith leaders, we are called to change the story.
By Katharine Henderson | September 11, 2009; 05:25 PM ET | Comments (8)
In the Beginning, There's the Word...
It's time to acknowledge that religion - but not just Christianity - has shaped our history and that we need to educate our children through both good textbooks and real encounters.
By Katharine Henderson | September 4, 2009; 04:56 PM ET | Comments (7)
