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Religious Practices on Trial in Arizona: The Problem With “Experts”

By Johnny P. Flynn

…Duggar children in Arkansas. In following the Ray story over the past few months, I am amazed at the number of non-Indian sweat lodge experts the media has been able to locate. Few Indians if any have been interviewed; and even decidedly liberal MSNBC featured Court TV anchor Ashleigh Banfield as their expert on the sweat lodge. Banfield’s expertise, admitted on air, was one sweat experience with her stepbrother or brother-in-law (she wasn’t sure…

When God and Gender Mix: New Book Examines the Southern Holiness Movement

By Colin Chapell

…lars and historians of religion are producing great works right now that demonstrate how significant belief is for most people. We all know that there are varied influences on people’s identity, but for a time, there was the idea that religious belief was solely a stand-in for other interests. I simply think that idea is wrong. I want to be clear that I think that religious belief can be, and often is, intertwined with other things, but it is stil…

Why Anti-Gay Bullying is a Theological Issue

By Cody J. Sanders

…f Focus on the Family and other organizations actively strive to leave the most vulnerable among us exposed to continuous attack. The good news is that we don’t need a SWAT team. We just need quality education on sexuality and gender identity in our schools and more faithful and courageous preaching and teaching in our churches. Catholic theologian M. Shawn Copeland offers profound words to any individuals and churches seeking to wash their hands…

The Only Common Denominator of American Conservatism is Anti-Blackness

By Yannick Marshall

…ublican Party similar to the white exodus from the mid-twentieth century Democratic Party after it moved towards rights for Black people. There has been no exodus. Instead, liberals attempt to put a hat back onto the head of a reality they increasingly have difficulty denying. As a last resort they assist with another vanishing act: the invention of “Trump’s base.” His base is understood to be the underbelly of American conservatives and not, as t…

How the Study of Evangelicalism Has Blinded Us to the Problems in Evangelical Culture

By Christopher D. Cantwell

…ns into the racist admission policies of evangelical colleges as it was by more moral concerns like abortion. Other scholars, meanwhile, have highlighted race’s centrality to American church history, noting that the evangelical involvement in the institution of enslavement as well as the ardent opposition of evangelical institutions to movements for racial justice have made evangelicalism central contributors to America’s racial caste system. Yet…

Modern Vampires: Your Neighbors and Spouses

By Joseph Laycock

…ampires to put the phenomenon in perspective. One of the challenges of a democratic society is the accommodation of diverse identity groups. Are you hoping to just inform readers? Give them pleasure? Piss them off? The “basic facts” about the vampire community are readily available on the Internet. There are also numerous books that have been written by journalists for a popular audience. My hope is to challenge the reader’s assumptions about self…

Welcome to the Shari’ah Conspiracy Theory Industry

By Sarah Posner

…han investigating the veracity of his ravings. Emerson strikes me as a bit more grounded in reality but still not really worth the time of any serious person interested in the subject of the Muslim Brotherhood.” “When I hear the tone of their comments, it sends chills through me—the paranoid fear of a minority sounds a bit too similar to the sort of anti-Semitic sentiments that led my ancestors to flee the Russian Empire a century ago,” Brown adde…

UPDATED: Religion Has Been Framed; Covering the Aga Khan’s Visit

By Hussein Rashid

…d since 9/11, knowledge about Islam and Muslims is painfully lacking even amongst some of the most educated people in our society, and religion is generally not a good return on investment in terms of background learning for journalists. As a result, unless the religion is mired in conflict, it does not get covered, a point raised by Pastor Dan. Conflict is easy to understand and frame, with little nuance necessary. With respect to Islam, the curr…

New Reports Reveal Global Persecution of Nonbelievers

By Austin Dacey

…ce after an enraged mob stormed his house, beating him and threatening his mother, a Coptic Christian. Saber was rumored to be circulating the Innocence of Muslims film trailer on his Facebook page. In a video blog, he spoke of the importance of exercising critical reasoning about religious matters. While in custody, Saber was slashed in the throat by razor-wielding prisoners after a guard told them of his “crime” and he was compelled to give fal…

Americans Say Religion is “Losing Influence”

By Diane Winston

…on’s saliency for political machinations, cultural inspiration, and social movements is a separate reality from the growing number of nones. Both need coverage. But the Gallup data raises questions that I’ve rarely seen addressed in recent years. What does faith look and feel like in flyover country? As a cub reporter, I wrote about the greying mainline, their internecine squabbles and financial woes. But thirty years later, they’re still standing…