The fear and loathing of history motivated the banning of nearly 400 books at the U.S. Naval Academy, according to a panel of scholars whose works were included in the purge. “I think very clearly that my book was taken…
Robert Jones: We need a vital, independent free press
Robert P. Jones was the keynote speaker at an April 8 conference sponsored by the Texas Tribune and Religion News Service on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The theme of the day was how journalists tell stories…
Hegseth bans books by Jones, Butler, Wallis, Angelou and Kendi
Books by Robert P. Jones, Anthea Butler, Jim Wallis, Maya Angelou and Ibram X. Kendi are among the 381 volumes banned from the U.S. Naval Academy library by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last week. “It is heartbreaking and frightening…
Dear federal workers: We see you and we appreciate you
Beyond the politics, my heart has been heavy as I’ve witnessed the destruction caused by President Donald Trump’s broadside attacks on our own government. The media often talks about these attacks as targeting government agencies known by their acronyms: DOD,…
Black History Month in Trump’s America
In 1976, the bicentennial year celebrating the birth of our nation with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Republican President Gerald Ford became the first president to recognize February as Black History Month. In a short presidential message, Ford recognized the…
Du Mez, Jones and Bass say lies about California fires are portents of things to come
In blaming Californians and their governor for the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles, Donald Trump provided a glimpse of the onslaught of disinformation Americans can expect from their next president, Kristen Du Mez said during the latest “Convocation Unscripted” webinar. Trump…
A peaceful January 6 offers little reassurance about our democracy
On Sept. 11, 2024, two months prior to the 2024 election, the Secretary of Homeland Security designated Jan. 6, 2025, as a “National Special Security Event.” The press release announcing this decision explained this designation had been made based on recommendations from…
Three highlights from PRRI’s post-election survey
The color line in the American religious electorate As has been the case for the last four decades, when the political parties began sorting themselves along ethno-religious lines in the wake of the Civil Rights movement, the largest voting divides…
PRRI survey finds ‘stark’ voter divides along religious lines
Race, religion and Christian nationalism were among the top influencers of presidential voting in the 2024 election, according to new polling by Public Religion Research Institute. Half of all U.S. voters chose Republican Donald Trump on Election Day compared to…
Amanda Tyler on when and how to talk about Christian nationalism at Christmas dinner
Americans have numerous opportunities to push back against Christian nationalism without engaging conservative relatives during holiday gatherings, Amanda Tyler said in a webinar about her new book, How to End Christian Nationalism. Anyone thinking about raising the topic at a…
Notre Dame event models the hospitality needed for national healing
As I walked through the snow toward McKenna Hall at Notre Dame University, I imagined the next 12 hours would include hard truths and valuable insights from professors and pundits about the reelection of Donald Trump and the Republican takeover…
Dispirited Christians must prepare to stand in the gap, historians urge
“We’re obviously in a very different space than we were in the last two times we had this conversation,” Robert P. Jones said to open the third “Faith and Democracy” tour event with historians Diana Butler Bass, Jemar Tisby and…