I read New York Magazine more or less every week. I think of it as hip, snarky, fashionable, funny, political, and a great guide to all-things-now. Rarely do they touch on the topic of religion, though (gee, I wonder why?), and when they do, usually it has to do with something like yoga or meditation, or yoga and meditation.
Never before have they featured old, white, religious men on one of their “best of” lists, however.
Yet there I was, today, working out and flipping through New York Magazine’s “Reasons to Love New York” issue which is just out this week and is one of my annual favorites. I turn the page and voila! Five, old, white religious men from such famous NYC houses of worship as St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and centers of learning such as the Jewish Theological Seminary. Their hip quotient is grounded in their avid support of the Muslim community and prayer center that is planned two blocks from ground zero–which is, granted, a great thing. Also, each of the men is exceedingly pluralistic in their view of religions–at least according to the article.
Okay, okay. But glaringly obvious for anyone who is, say, not an old white man, is the fact that New York Magazine didn’t include any female religious leaders, nor did they include anyone of color. We live in New York City, people! While it is wonderful to see New York Magazine paying attention to straight-up religion for a change, they might choose to represent the faiths with an eye toward diversity next time.