Edward Wyckoff WilliamsHuffington Post I believe in freedom of religion. I believe in being politically correct. What I do not believe in are double standards. To that end, Mitt Romney must answer for having been 32 years old, and the member of an organization that explicitly excluded African Americans. Frank Rich, the Award-winning journalist, recently explored the personal influence of Romney’s Mormon faith and its political significance in his presidential run. In a New York Magazine piece entitled, “Who in... Read more

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By SIKIVU HUTCHINSONReligion Dispatches “This is God’s body,” the girl says. She is one of a group of middle school students participating in a youth workshop on misogynist images in media. The subject has turned to abortion, and her peers nod vigorously in agreement. Imani Moses, a high school senior who is facilitating the workshop as a Women’s Leadership Project student, challenges her to examine her position—“does God sleep, eat, live in and control this body 24/7?” She asks, pointing... Read more

Religion is a dynamic force in America, so it’s no surprise that every four years religious language jumps to the forefront of presidential campaigns. From the Mormon faith of Mitt Romney to the voting clout of evangelicals and Catholics, religion is debated by candidates and seized on by the press. Although the economy and jobs rank first in voters’ concerns, “God talk” is widespread and often loud this primary season, and culture-war issues like abortion and same-sex marriage get top... Read more

Howard FinemanHuffington Post Bathed in the candlelight of a Romanesque Texas church and framed at the altar by golden stained glass, Rick Santorum told a group of Dallas-area pastors Wednesday that he saw no boundary between faith and public life and that he “could not and would not leave my faith at the door” as he sought the presidency. Then, as if in thanks, the pastors in the Bella Donna Adriatica Chapel in McKinney, Texas, gathered around Santorum in the... Read more

by Sarah PosnerReligion Dispatches Yesterday’s news on the contraception coverage requirement was dominated by two seemingly contradictory events: two polls showing that most Catholics agree with the Obama administration rule, and signals from David Axelrod and Obama spiritual advisor Joel Hunter that perhaps there was a compromise in the offing. But the primary compromise proposed, known as the Hawaii compromise, has been declared unacceptable by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The National Catholic Register reports: [A] key official in... Read more

In response to the request of several people wanting an explanation (religious, biblical or otherwise) on the video of the coronation of Bishop Eddie Long, we here at Rhetoric Race and Religion will collect responses and place them on our blog. If there are responses you find, please share them with us. Thanks Read more

In response to the request of several people wanting an explanation (religious, biblical or otherwise) on the video of the coronation of Bishop Eddie Long, we here at Rhetoric Race and Religion will collect responses and place them on our blog. If there are responses you find, please share them with us. Thanks Dr. Nicol Turner-LeePolitic365 This week, Bishop Eddie Long, the pastor of suburban Atlanta’s megachurch New Birth Baptist Missionary Church, apologized to the Anti-Defamation League for partaking in... Read more

Religion is a dynamic force in America, so it should be no surprise that every four years issues involving religion raise compelling questions for the media and public. How deeply should the religious beliefs of a candidate be tested? What press questions involving religion are suitable, and what are out of bounds, irrelevant, or trivial? What religious voting blocs will help shape the election? How influential will “culture war” issues be in the 2012 election? What religious beliefs undergird views... Read more

Roger E. OlsenPatheos Blog Recently I talked with a reporter for a major metropolitan daily newspaper about Pentecostalism. He called me after interviewing (he said) many scholars about Pentecostalism. He said that the people most enamored with Pentecostalism were non-Pentecostal religious scholars; none of them would say a bad word about Pentecostalism. He had read my article on the dark side of Pentecostalism in Christian Century and knew I could say some negative things about the movement. (Most of the... Read more