Monthly Archives: August 2011
An informed conversation about the religious right, politics and dominionism
By Alan Bean Sarah Posner and Anthea Butler understand the religious right because they attend actual religious gatherings and talk to people. When they sit down for a conversation about dominionism, the New Apostolic Reformation and politicians like Rick Perry … Continue reading
Gay at Baylor: A Christian Challenge
This piece originally appeared in the Huffington Post By Mark Osler This past October, I wrote a piece in the Huffington Post entitled “Repentance of an Anti-Gay Bigot.” Among the dozens of responses I received were many from my former … Continue reading
Filed under "civil rights", education, gay rights, spirituality, Texas, The Nature of God, Uncategorized
Corruption investigation rocks Tulsa Police Department
By Melanie Wilmoth I haven’t heard much news about the corruption investigation of the Tulsa Police Department (TPD) that has been developing over the past few years. This case should be a national scandal. But it’s not. The media coverage of … Continue reading
Filed under "civil rights", Criminal justice reform, police corruption
All Eyes on Jackson, Mississippi
By Alan Bean The convergence of three events is directing a lot of attention to the Magnolia State: “The Help” is #1 at the box office, a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. is being unveiled on the Mall in … Continue reading
Filed under "civil rights", Mississippi, Southern history, white racial resentment
Texas offers Bible classes while vocational training is slashed
By Alan Bean According to stories published this weekend in the Texas press, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice will soon be offering a four-year course in biblical studies to forty inmates. The training isn’t intended to prepare inmates for … Continue reading
Evangelicals have a Perry/Bachmann Problem
A spate of recent columns in the mainstream media have dismissed concerns about Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann’s religion as rhetorical overkill. Do Rick and Michelle really want to transform these United States into a theocracy controlled by sectarian religionists? … Continue reading
Filed under dominionism, New Apostolic Reformation, religion and law, theocracy
Private prisons, juvenile justice, and a little town called Walnut Grove
By Alan Bean Walnut Grove, MS is pleased to be located next to a private juvenile prison. The facility provides the tiny community with much-needed employment and a solid revenue stream. Although the population of Walnut Grove, located northeast of … Continue reading
Filed under juvenile justice, prison reform, private prisons, The politics of crime
Eyewitness Identification and Wrongful Convictions
By Melanie Wilmoth I recently had the opportunity to attend a book club hosted by CitySquare in Dallas. At this event, we discussed the book, Tested: How Twelve Wrongly Imprisoned Men Held onto Hope by Peyton and Dorothy Budd. Their book … Continue reading
Filed under DNA testing, innocence, wrongful conviction
What happens when “guilt or innocence was never on the table”?
By Lisa D’Souza Eighteen years ago, three teenaged boys were accused of murdering three 8-year-old boys. These three teens were suspected because they were weird. The way they dressed and what they believed were not the norm for the Arkansas … Continue reading
Filed under DNA testing, innocence, wrongful conviction
Rachel Tabachnick talks dominionism on Fresh Air (and why you should be paying attention)
By Alan Bean Are Rick Perry and Michelle Bachmann part of a movement determined to forcibly Christianize every aspect of American culture? If so, why does a blog dedicated to ending mass incarceration care one way or the other? If … Continue reading
