For much of the last century, America’s evangelicals have been the whipping boy of progressives and intellectuals of all sorts. Ostensibly, they use government to impose their interpretation of Scripture on the body politic and – paradoxical to this heavy use of the state – champion neo-liberal economics and Tea Party style small government. This was never quite the story, and is even less so since 2005, when America’s religio-political landscape has been undergoing what evangelical theologian Scot McKnight called... Read more

Despite heavy media coverage of Mitt Romney’s religion, only 42 percent of Americans correctly identify the candidate as a Mormon. This level of knowledge remains the same from July, even after Texas pastor Robert Jeffress’ comments about Mormonism being a cult spread like wildfire and sparked a heated debate. Indeed, a new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute finds that white evangelical Protestants are the only subgroup that demonstrates increased knowledge of Romney’s religion (53 percent today compared to... Read more

by Mary Green, Student, University of Memphis By fighting for their rights now, American Negroes are helping to make America a moral and spiritual arsenal of democracy. Their fight against the poll tax, against lynch law, segregation, and Jim Crow, their fight for economic, political, and social equality, thus becomes part of the global war for freedom.–A. Philip Randolph, “Why Should We March?” (1942) In the early twentieth century, a segregated political and social environment in America led to “new... Read more

by Mark Jefferson Hip-Hop titans Jay-Z and Kanye West interestingly decided on “No Church in the Wild” as the first track on their long-anticipated album, Watch the Throne. I want to explore this understanding of “the wild” within two critical realms of African American life, Black churches and Hip-Hop culture. It’s not my desire to exclude or diminish other religious traditions; I want to speak directly to the context I know best, my own. As a young scholar, ordained Christian... Read more

This is an address by Pope Benedict XVI during the Day of Reflection, Dialogue and Prayer for Peace and Justice in the World – “Pilgrims of Truth, Pilgrims of Peace” – held at the Basilica of Saint Mary and the Angels, Assisi, on 27 October 2011. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Distinguished Heads and Representatives of Churches, Ecclesial Communities and World Religions, Dear Friends, Twenty-five years have passed since Blessed Pope John Paul II first invited representatives of the world’s religions... Read more

Halloween is the time of year that conjures up images of pumpkins, exorcisms and ghosts, but what’s behind it all? How much of it is real and how much is a Hollywood creation? And what would possess someone to make a career out of those things? We sat down with Joshua Gunn, associate professor of communication studies at The University of Texas at Austin, to find out. Gunn does research at the intersection of rhetorical and cultural studies, in pursuit... Read more

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A Debate Between Dinesh D’Souza, president of The King’s College and Jim Wallis, president and CEO of Sojourners America: Still Exceptional? from Center for Vision and Values on Vimeo. Read more