The United States is truly exceptional in the fact that it “peacefully combines a high degree of religious devotion with tremendous religious diversity” (Putnam and Campbell, American Grace). Interfaith understanding is a central part of our nation’s history, from George Washington’s letter to the Newport, Rhode Island synagogue to the first Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in 1893, to the 1960s Civil Rights Movement led by diverse faith leaders. The challenge for our millennial generation is to continue translating... Read more

Historically, the women’s movement has focused its attention primarily on the relationship between women and the state, especially with regard to the rights of women in the legal domain and the relationship of women and politics in relation to political representation. The most important campaigns of the women’s movements have centred on issues of dowry, rape and personal laws and more recently women’s reservation in legislatures. The last two decades have contributed to the opening up of the “woman’s question”... Read more

A controversy is brewing after Maryland pastor Jamal Bryant of Empowerment Temple referenced Chris Brown’s song “Loyal” during a church sermon. Did his use of the lyrics “these hoes ain’t loyal” go too far, or are we missing the message? Guests:Dr. Brittney Cooper @ProfessorCrunk (New Brunswick, NJ) Assistant Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies and Africana Studies at Rutgers University Pastor Leslie Callahan @fifthpastor (Philadelphia, PA) Pastor of St. Paul’s Baptist Church Dr. Tamura A. Lomax (Richmond, VA) Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of... Read more

To fully celebrate the life and legacy of Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928–May 28, 2014), we must contextualize her 86 years of living within the black religious traditions that influenced her and birthed her deep spirituality. While countless scholars have analyzed her literary, political, and cultural contributions, few have situated her work within the scope of black religious life, particularly the African-American Christian tradition. In her literary language, political activism, and multiple artistic endeavors, Maya Angelou engaged and challenged the... Read more

By now, many of you have heard about the inflammatory statement Pastor Jamal Bryant made in a recent sermon entitled “I Am My Enemy’s Worst Nightmare.” Bryant, dressed in an electric-blue suit coat, yelled “THESE H*ES AIN’T LOYAL,” a popular Rap lyric from singer Chris Brown to his congregation during the sermon about Pontius Pilate and his wife’s premonition about crucifying Jesus. Now, if you find difficulty making the connection between “disloyal h*es” and Pilate’s wife, you’re not alone. There’s... Read more

Professional wrestling: oh, how I love it! I love its glitz, its glamor, its over-the-top, in-your-face bluster. I love that it presents itself as a hyper-masculine testosterone-fest and yet its wrestlers prance around in bedazzling costumes, wear more makeup than Tammy Faye, and play-act in melodramas too outlandish for even the daytime Soaps. Above all, I love the skill, artistry, and even beauty of its violent faux-fighting. Now, I understand that a declaration of love for professional wrestling is probably... Read more

IntroductionIn 2011, the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture began an interdisciplinary study of the Bible in American life. We are particularly interested in how people use the Bible in their personal daily lives and how other influences, including religious communities and the Internet, shape individuals’ use of scripture. Employing both quantitative methods (the General Social Survey and the National Congregations Study) and qualitative research (historical studies for context), we hope to provide an unprecedented perspective on... Read more

This Friday, Netflix is going to drop 13 new episodes of “Orange Is the New Black” in our queues, and we’ll find out if Piper killed Pennsatucky after beating her to a bloody pulp outside a Christmas pageant in the first season’s final episode. If you’ve been reading casting news, of course, you already know. As with all of the Netflix original shows, many viewers raced through the last season, some binge-watching the entire thing in a couple of days, a... Read more

When Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas meet at the Vatican next Sunday (June 8), it will be another sign of how Pope Francis has returned the Vatican to the global stage to a degree not seen since the 1980s, when John Paul II’s shuttle pilgrimages helped end the Cold War. The upcoming Israeli-Palestinian prayer summit is drawing particular attention because it comes as traditional diplomatic efforts in the region have once again stalled. It also... Read more

In most parts of America, “separate but equal” seems like the vestige of a bygone era. Segregated lunch counters, race-divided bathrooms, signs reading “whites only”—these are anachronisms of the 1960s, half a century into the country’s past. Except where they’re not. In an interesting new survey, the Public Religion Research Institute found that 10 percent of Americans believe business owners should be able to refuse to serve black people if they see that as a violation of their religious beliefs. This... Read more