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President Obama gave an inspiring victory address last night. However it was the vision as the cameras panned over the listening crowd of faces that truly inspires the hope I feel for America and the world today. People of all races, ages, and cultures stood side by side as they showed their appreciation for a president who himself represents a mix of race, religion and cultures. Yesterday America voted to recognize and celebrate our diversity and reaffirm our deep commitment and... Read more

by Brian Foulks R3 Blogger So today is voting Tuesday around the country and people are all hyped about voting. I read tweet after tweet of people getting up early to vote and standing in line with pride. I see Facebook post of condemning people for not getting out to vote and a mass of other stuff concerning Election Day. Well… I am not sure how I want to digest this moment right now. I am proud that people are... Read more

by Ifeoma OfulueR3 Blogger Though the election ends tonight, for American evangelicals a different kind of campaign should begin if we are serious about the place of faith-based identity and community as part of our civic engagement. It is clear to me, and to many others I’m sure, when you consider the entire slate of Republican primary candidates with professing evangelical Christians much at the helm, we have some serious reckoning to do. The past 19-months have laid bare, perhaps... Read more

Ifeoma Ofulue, Ph.D. is a feminist rhetorical critic whose research centers on gender, religion, and cultural identity in U.S. and international discourses. A native Washingtonian, she lives in the DC area where she’s completing a book-length analysis of science, gender, and ethnicity in contemporary American evangelical rhetoric of “biblical manhood and womanhood.” Ifeoma’s Posts:1. Post-Election Recovery: A Chance for a Reckoning? Read more

Academics do a curious job of treating religion. This point was brought home to me powerfully last week when I attended the excellent conference of the Urban History Association (UHA), meeting in New York City. (Very fortunately, we all escaped before the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy).  Beyond the generally high standard of the individual panels and papers, UHA is a splendid opportunity to gauge the state of the art in a major (and critical) field of the profession. But even at such... Read more

http://dgjigvacl6ipj.cloudfront.net/media/swf/PBSPlayer.swf Watch Religion in the 2012 Election on PBS. See more from Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. Read more

On radio and on his Internet network, the influential conservative pundit Glenn Beck frequently invokes God, religious freedom and the founding fathers, but he does not regularly discuss his own Mormon faith. But in early September, he broke with practice and hosted a special one-hour show, asking his audience, “Does Mitt Romney’s Mormonism make him too scary or weird to be elected to president of the United States?” Mr. Beck has not always supported Mr. Romney. (“I think he’s an honorable... Read more

Watch Anthea Butler, Associate Professor of Religious Studies and the Graduate Chair of Religion, University of Pennsylvania, for the second Cole Lecture when she expands on the way different communities have used the founders and their documents to open up religious and civic opportunities for all. The presentation is part of the Vanderbilt’s Divinity School’s 2012 Cole Lectures. Read more

Win or lose on Election Day, Republican Mitt Romney has already made history as the first Mormon to win a major party presidential nomination. But has his race for the White House changed Americans’ perceptions and stereotypes of the small, insular but fast-growing religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? And, by extension, has Romney affected how Mormons view their place in the nation? Two noted Mormon experts we turned to as the 2012 presidential campaign draws to... Read more