Sightings
Reporting and commenting on the role of religion in public life.
A Biblical Attack on the Capitol?
The alternative facts and faulty exegesis behind Evangelicals' "Biblical worldview."
Symphonic Politics, Sibelius, and the Immanent Messiah
By Scott FergusonOur country cannot afford to wait for a miracle. The music of Jean Sibelius teaches us what the alternatives might look like.
January 11, 2021
Georgia's Senate Elections and the Life of the Black Church
By Lerone Jonathan WilderSenator-elect Warnock's victory shows that the institution that led the fight for civil rights has just as much vitality as ever
January 7, 2021
Relief After Misfortune
By Asma AfsaruddinA centuries-old Islamic literary genre may still offer consolation today
January 4, 2021
Pandemic, Disability, and Worship Practices: What Next?
By Courtney WilderThe debates around in-person worship services callously neglect worshippers with disabilities
December 14, 2020
Recent Columns
Of Memphis and Washington
By Richard A. RosengartenOn this day of remembrance, so close on the heels of the unprecedented assault on our nation’s capitol, let us begin by remembering that Dr. King’s pr...
January 18, 2021
A Biblical Attack on the Capitol?
By Jeffrey StackertAmidst the shocking chaos that erupted in Washington last week were religious events that, though they garnered relatively little media attention, she...
January 14, 2021
Symphonic Politics, Sibelius, and the Immanent Messiah
By Scott FergusonAt the start of his book on Mahler, Adorno insists that music “promises that which is different,” meant in a distinctive sense. The dramatic transitio...
January 11, 2021
Georgia's Senate Elections and the Life of the Black Church
By Lerone Jonathan WilderOn Monday, December 14, residents of Georgia began voting in two high-profile runoff elections for the United States Senate. Tuesday night, we learned...
January 7, 2021
Relief After Misfortune
By Asma AfsaruddinIn a recent article surveying the impact of Covid-19 on our lives, Lawrence Wright records stories of both despair and hope. He talks about James L. M...
January 4, 2021
Happy Holidays from Sightings
By The EditorDear Readers, What a year it's been. I hardly need recount the momentous difficulties we have all lived through: clinging to health and staving off ...
December 17, 2020
Pandemic, Disability, and Worship Practices: What Next?
By Courtney WilderOut of necessity, religious services in 2020 have been transformed. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many U.S. congregations have offered online acce...
December 14, 2020
Putin's American Comrades and Our Post-Truth Moment
By Sarah Riccardi-Swartz“The only thing that can save the world is Russia,” a monk proclaimed to me one spring afternoon in the mountains of West Virginia. This young monk wa...
December 10, 2020
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Browse by Associated TagsSighting Religion in the Public Square
Through the eyes, ears, and keyboards of a diverse group of writers, Sightings displays a kaleidoscope of religious activity: a reflection of how religious currents are shaping and being shaped in the world.