A Funky Retirement: Celebrating Cornel West @UrbanFaith

In this audio clip, Lupe Fiasco dedicates a song to the well educated women of Princeton and talks about West’s influence. And, in these videos he, George Clinton & P-Funk jam. In this audio clip, comedian Bill Maher… Read More

What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: February 13 – February 17

On Location at Whitney’s Farewell: What reporting on location at Whitney Houston’s semi-private, gospel-filled funeral taught me about spiritual battles, grace, and celebrity. Marriage Is for Black People, Too: Ralph Richards Banks’ book ‘Is Marriage for White People?’ made him… Read More

What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: January 9-13

Religion Wins Big; Pastors Protest Loss: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that religious schools can fire ministers and more New York City pastors were arrested while protesting fallout from the court’s decision not to hear a Bronx church’s appeal…. Read More

What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: January 2-6

Immigration News: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: News on the immigration front has been ugly this week, with deportation mistakes making headlines, but it’s not entirely bad. Bigotry Charges Haunt Iowa Caucuses: As Republican voters in Iowa prepare to… Read More

Photojournalism by Explorations Media, L.L.C.

I’ve recently created what I think are some compelling photo sets on Flickr. As a journalist, I prefer realism to photo-shopped images, though artistic renderings can sometimes reveal truth better than fact. I recommend viewing these sets as slideshows, as… Read More

What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: September 19-23

Mari White Presents the Newsboys: Entertainer Mari White hopes her new reality show about the popular Christian rock band The Newsboys is fresh, family-friendly television. Christians Speak Out on Davis Execution: Death row inmate Troy Davis may be innocent, but… Read More

What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: September 12-16

Truth at a Beauty Pageant: Miss Universe winner Leila Lopes of Angola highlights her nation’s troubles, says she’s happy with the way God made her, and declares racism so last century. Is her win redemptive? Psalms for Poverty Statistics: The… Read More

9/11 Lessons in Civil Religion @NJShorePatch

Inter-faith messages remind Monmouth County residents who they are. In Jean-Jacque Rousseau’s model of civil religion, the state is unified and strengthened by public displays of faith that refer to deity, point to the afterlife, draw attention to the… Read More

Jesus, Bombs, & Ice Cream

Explorations Media sent photographer M.W. Scheller to cover this variety show that was co-hosted by activist/author Shane Claiborne and Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen. See the whole photo set here. Christine A. Scheller talked to Claiborne earlier… Read More

What I Wrote This Week @UrbanFaith: September 5-9

How Did 9/11 Change Urban Ministry? With the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in mind, Christian leaders Jeremy Del Rio, DeForest Soaries, and Shane Claiborne reflect on how 9/11 changed urban ministry in America. Clergy… Read More

Only a Number Takes Top Prize at Jersey Shore Film Festival @NJ Shore Patch

Steven Besserman shares his ailing mother’s Holocaust memories in award winning documentary. “A17855: This became my only identity. This was Auschwitz,” Aranka Besserman says in the film tribute to her memories of the Holocaust that her son Steven Besserman… Read More

Who’s at Fault in the Debt Ceiling Debate @NJShorePatch

Former New Jersey Secretary of State DeForest Soaries says the vitriolic debate is a reflection of a new, negative era of Republican leadership. “Compared to the Tea Party, Gov. Whitman was a Democrat,” said the Rev. Dr. DeForest… Read More