We live in an age and time when we're often more likely to emphasize and get stuck on being right than on understanding the point of view of another person. During the election season, most conservatives read conservative blogs , while liberals read liberal blogs , and neither group gets very good at really listening to the other. The same thing is often true in religious circles; several times in the past week I've had progressive friends lament the upcoming discussions they'd have with their conservative family members. It seems to be a rare individual who really "gets" people on the other side of the proverbial fence. ...

Religious books which recount a biblical story for children are frequently plagued by a number of problems that can render them less-than-acceptable in progressive congregations. Too often, the artwork portrays light-skinned characters instead of ones that look like they really do come from the Middle East....

I invite you to take a look at The View from Under the Pew written by Diane Winters Johnson and illustrated by Margaret Freed if you are looking for a children’s book...