Arabic Calligraphy with the word “Muhammad” written In most lectures inside and outside Chapman, I take a moment to inform the listening audience, those who dare to listen, of the profound significance of the Prophet Muhammad’s life. His life embodies the Islamic dimensions, which are both internal and external, with the latter articulating the former.
In the Name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Bestower of Mercy We have entered a new year of Ramadan! What a feeling! Let me, the Chapman community, talk with you about a few things regarding Ramadan. There are several devotional actions of worship a Muslim performs, and the most pronounced are praying additional
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is an Arabic word. According to many Muslim scholars of the Arabic language and Qur’anic exegesis, it is derived from a verb meaning “severe heat.” When fasting, people experience a severe sense of internal heat from thirst, a burning sensation. Metaphorically, according to Islamic theology,
The United States of America recently experienced mass shootings throughout California, followed by yet another Black man murdered because of entrenched racist policies. People of various religious and secular backgrounds have conducted vigils, grieved, sought answers, and tried to make sense of human-to-human death. What happens, however, when death is not because of humans but,
From Rev. Nancy Brink – We are in the midst of Black History Month. How important it is, to seek out and learn the many hidden tragedies and even greater triumphs of Black Americans that are largely hidden in our teaching of history. But is history enough? I have been doing a great deal of
In these days when we are wrestling with all of the issues brought to us by COVID-19, I find it helpful to remember Chapman’s past. Perhaps our connection to Chapman’s founders, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) can help us reframe our present and point us into the future. This is not the first very
The month of September was filled with many of the most holy of Jewish holidays. Since the Jewish calendar is based on the lunar calendar, the High Holy Days (Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur) can arrive anywhere between early September and late October. When people say that the holidays are “early” or “late,” the classic
I am a daily player of Words with Friends, an online Scrabble-like game that I play with pals from across the country. Some are excellent and regularly outsmart me (that’s you, Jerry Price). Others I have to work less hard to beat! Between each play, a brief ad pops up. It still is creepy when
Join the Fish Interfaith Center staff Chapman Community Memorial Service Monday, April 26 at 4 pm PST to remember the individual and collective loss we have experienced throughout this year Memorial services or funerals have been part of every culture and every religious, spiritual, and many secular traditions. One of the hardest parts of the
As the season of Advent closes, whether one believes the ancient biblical tale of Jesus’ birth is divinely inspired, or sees it as a metaphor or simply an author’s tale, there is one part of the story that relates to the particular plight of countless people of throughout history. But it’s not the part that