The British public want politicians to steer clear of religion just as key Westminster figures amp up debates on Christianity’s role in the country, new polling shows.
Religion as a Cultural Identity (Part 2): The Surprising Reality of “Cultural Judaism”
Before diving into the graphs, I should note that this is really the second post in a two-part series on religion as a cultural identity. I’d strongly recommend going back and reading the first post to get up to speed on a…
Why Religion, Not Income, Predicts the American Vote
Here’s one advantage of being a professor that I’ve only really started to appreciate in the last couple of years: if you sit with an idea long enough—thinking about it repeatedly for days on end—you eventually find a new way…
Why one 16th-century theologian’s advice for a bitterly divided nation holds true today
Ideological division was tearing the country apart. Factions denounced each other as unpatriotic and evil. There were attempted kidnappings and assassinations of political figures. Public monuments and art were desecrated all over the country. This was France in the middle…
Starving the mindset that feeds terrorism
Across Nigeria’s highways and farm paths, in markets and dormitories, and even in churches and mosques, faith has become a weapon. The line between devotion and destruction has grown perilously thin. Religious violence here is not new; what is new is…
Is it time to get a divorce from institutional religion?
Last summer I ate lunch with a long-term kindred spirit friend who, like me, is a retired minister. We spoke about our vocations in the church, both the good and the bad. We also expressed deep disappointments with organized religion,…
The Democrats Have a Religion Problem
I must admit something: I have no idea how the average American thinks about religion and politics. That’s just a blind spot that academics have, I guess. We spend almost every waking moment thinking about these topics, while many other…
Prof reviews proper and improper uses of Bible in public schools
The Bible has not been banned from public schools, but there are appropriate and inappropriate ways to use it there, a professor told a summit on religion and public education Sept. 16. Mark Chancey, professor of religious studies at Southern…
These are the helpful conversations about religion we need
The assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University is undoubtedly going to lead to a lot of conversation about our identity as a nation, the nature of our problems and how we pursue justice. One of the contexts for…
To understand a faith, first understand the people who practice it
Earlier this summer, I was in Salt Lake City on production for “Undivided,” a planned new TV show about American religions that I’m hosting. In Salt Lake I met with Latter-day Saints, known widely as Mormons — a term that…
Faith Meets the Future: Religion and the Gene Editing Divide
The number of advancements occurring in the medical community every year are astounding. For instance, there’s now an incredibly effective treatment for cystic fibrosis and hepatitis C.
‘Loyal to the oil’ – how religion and striking it rich shape Canada’s hockey fandom
Déjà vu is a common occurrence in the world of sports, and the Edmonton Oilers are no strangers to repeat matchups. The Canadian team faced off against the New York Islanders in both 1983 and ’84 for hockey’s biggest prize, the Stanley…