xbn .

Search: the Politics of Scripture

Disinterest Is Not a Virtue

By what authority an institution, neither elected nor sovereign, may judge the common good.

Another Humanity, or a Plea for the Death Drive

Zahi Zalloua reviews Benjamin Davis’s new book, Another Humanity: Decolonial Ethics from Du Bois to Arendt (2025).

The Politics of Human Dignity

For someone who grew up being told they barely count as human, the idea that God is specifically mindful of them is not a moment of little surprise. It is a life-changing claim.

Questioning Inter-Religion

This essay is part of a book series on Karma and Grace by Neena Mahadev.

When Authoritarianism Arises: Why Catholic and Calvinist Ecumenism Should Talk About Power

The question is not only whether Catholics and Calvinists can understand one another better doctrinally. It is whether they can think together about concrete political questions and their entanglement with power, authority, and the conditions necessary for a more just and peaceful society.

Faith Amidst Chaos

The world is impossibly complex now, and will only continue to be so. We must learn to adapt to this complexity, to dance with it and to allow it to be what it is.

Why the Obsession?

“Neither of us would be allowed to do our jobs had we adhered to our practice of wearing a veil.”

Senghor, Negritude, and Political Community

Translating Senghor’s political writings shows the continued relevance of Negritude in the conceptualization of political community in the wake of the encounter between Africa and Euro-America. However, framing the translation, like engaging any of Senghor’s work, ought to pay close attention to his African critics.

The Politics of God’s Sanctuary

God’s sanctuary as a tent and God’s residence in a tent suggest that God is a sojourning God who accompanies people, offering an encampment with and among the communities on their journeys of life.

Centering Active Nonviolence in Catholic Social Teaching

Tuning in to active nonviolence as a center of gravity in Jesus’ way, we can sense nonviolence as integral to the mission of the Catholic Church. This enables us to have a broader imagination of nonviolent praxis, a sturdier identity as interconnected beings, and an engrained commitment to better persist in active nonviolence even during difficult circumstances.

Decentering History: Animals, Politics, and Religions

These books demonstrate that animal studies as a new field offers a powerful perspective for understanding the history shared with our companions in the multi-species universe.

Animal Studies and Political Theology

Under the multidisciplinary banner ‘Animal Studies’, we may decenter the ‘human’ in this history of capitalist agriculture, and instead attend to the political histories of insect agents. The resulting narrative is intriguingly subversive.