On the volcanic, sunbaked island of Tanna in Southern Vanuatu, there lives a group of people who worship the British Prince Philip as a deity, even after his death. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Vanuatu in 1974, and the reverence shown to them made a lasting impression. The Yaohnanen tribe has an ancient legend about the pale son of a mountain spirit, and they believe that his spirit will still return to them in some form. They came to believe Philip was this spirit, and would bring great treasures, or cargo, with him due to his connections to colonial power. As a symbol of great colonial power, Prince Philip is worshipped. This remote group is not alone; there have been several other historical cults like this, including a cult on New Hanover Island in Papua New Guinea that worshipped United States President Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960’s and 1970’s. This cult even offered the U.S. government $1000 to send Johnson to be installed as their most honored chief.
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In the foothills of East Tennessee, not far from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, lies the small town of Clinton. You may have heard of it before. It is the home of the Clinton 12, a group of twelve Black students, who in 1956, bravely integrated the local high school after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling two years prior. It was also the last place of residence of famed author and activist, Alex Haley, who gave us Roots: The Saga of an American Family. But for the last 32 years—since Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) acquired Haley’s final residence, Alex Haley Farm, Clinton has been the home of the children’s movement, welcoming hundreds of faith leaders to realize the vision of a more fair, equitable, and
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The decades of occupation of Palestinian land by the Israeli government and the current genocide of Palestinians is something no one can ignore, especially people of faith. Our faith moves us to call out the injustices of our world, the killing of thousands of people, and governments that take advantage
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In June, we moved to San Diego, and I stepped away from being a pastor. I’ve still built connections with clergy, and a recent meeting with one pastor stuck out. We talked about following up, and he said, “Reach back out in January.” It was December 1. Caught off guard
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For 31 consecutive weeks, Israelis have taken to the streets, mostly in Tel Aviv, to protest the decision by the current right-wing government of Israel to initiate an overhaul of its judicial system. Israel’s “Unreasonableness Law” is a measure that removes the courts’ power to overturn decisions made by Israel’s
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