The crucial question, then, is this: Is there any help to be found in the religion of Jesus that can be of value here? It is utterly beside the point to examine here what the religion of Jesus suggests to those who would be helpful to the disinherited. That is ever in the nature of special pleading. No man wants to be the object of his fellow’s

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Religion—whether we like it or not, whether we envision ourselves as secular or not—informs how most of us view the complicated issues of our time, including race, gender, sexuality, and so forth. In acknowledging its complexity, we should also begin to understand that essentialist statements about religion will always fall short of accuracy.

I thought I came here to better understand the destructive role that religion plays in the world, so I could fight against it. I didn’t anticipate that, in exploring that work, I’d also come to appreciate the role that faith plays in brokering peace and forging coalitions in a world that’s more divided than ever.