Martyrdom, Racist Violence, and the Role of Art: Kara Walker’s Religious Turn
In her most recent exhibit, “The Ecstasy of St. Kara,” the American artist Kara Walker made a turn…
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Kentucky-Fried Christianity: Governor Matt Bevin Wants to Pray Away Violence in Louisville
Over the past few weeks, a conflict has unfolded in Kentucky, revealing a split in…
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Here Comes President Boo Boo: Trump’s Tour as Reality TV
It was billed as unprecedented, a religion-themed tour to “broadcast a message of unity” to…
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Alex Jones, Performance Artist, and the Duelling Meanings of ‘Sincerity’ in Politics and Public Life
As part of a contentious fight with his ex-wife over custody of their three children,…
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Church of Pain: Religion, Ritual, and the Body in the New Serial Spin-Off, “S-Town”
A wildly popular podcast uses religion as its final reveal—a “church” devoted to the art of the tattoo, and to drunken discussion of the work of George Bataille.
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Christianity as American Horror Story in Joyce Carol Oates’ Newest Novel
Joyce Carol Oates’s hefty new novel, A Book of American Martyrs, reveals an America haunted by a…
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How a Mormon Spring Break Ritual Came to Include a Whole Lot of “Hare Krishna, Hare Rama”
This weekend, tens of thousands of people—primarily college age, overwhelmingly Mormon—will descend on the Sri…
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Let’s Get Lost: Mapping Religion in the 21st Century
Maps allow for a kind of immersive wandering, yet at the same time reminding us of our distance from that which we contemplate—this is an essential caution for considering any maps of American religion
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Bannon’s “Alt-Facts” Satan
“The fight for real power is over what gets to count as a fact in the first place. Truth only matters insofar as you have the power to determine what is truth.”
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Trump’s Inaugural Address Gets an “F” in American Civil Religion
Trump’s America will shine not as an exemplar of righteous conduct but as an example of “winning” business practices and national self-interest.
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