Sightings Articles

Students rest on the green lawn on the main quad at University of Chicago

Sightings on Summer Hiatus

Enjoy a curated reading list until we return for Autumn Quarter in September....

June 27, 2024
An American flag hangs in a classroom with the English alphabet on the wall behind it.

Christian Nationalism | Civil Religion

Civil Religion as a Gateway to Christian Nationalism

The inclusion of “under God” in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance was a sectarian move whose exclusionary effects are increasingly evident in today's religious landscape....

June 20, 2024
Pro-palestine protesters with Palestinian flags and signs

Anti-Semitism | Israel | Palestine

What We Write about When We Write about the War in Gaza

Ire rises when terms that have been used to characterize violence against Jews in the past are leveled against the state of Israel....

June 12, 2024
Jürgen Moltmann stands at a podium and speaks into several microphones

Jürgen Moltmann | theology | In memoriam

The Fullness of Life: Remembering Jürgen Moltmann

The Protestant theologian's writing, like his demeanor, was humble, self-effacing, and quietly revolutionary....

June 7, 2024
A person with long purple hair wears the pink and blue transgender flag in the style of a cape.

culture wars | identity politics | liberalism

Liberalism’s Identity Irresolution

The premise of state neutrality has given rise to identitarian conflict that cannot be resolved by appeals to the fundamental rules of the social order....

May 31, 2024
A man in a blue shirt and safety goggles adds droplets to a test tube

ethics | Technology | Science | Genetics

Asking the Right Questions about Genetic Engineering

Religious voices are valuable in considering the implications of human genetic engineering....

May 22, 2024
A pile of shiny gold coins with the letter "B" prominent on their face

Cryptocurrency | Bitcoin | cults

The Passion of Bitcoin Jesus

In the rush to declare cryptocurrency a new religion, we risk overlooking these stories about how “old” religions are making sense of crypto....

May 15, 2024
Figurines on a shelf

pop culture | anime | Japanese religions

Demon Slayer: Pop Religion and Japanese Anime

The recent anime film both draws inspiration from Japanese religions and functions as a source of inspiration for religious practices....

May 8, 2024
Black and white image of Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold

morality | Leopold and Loeb | Philosophy | Friedrich Nietzsche

Telling the Stories of Leopold and Loeb

Thinking about Leopold and Loeb as well as their inspiration and their trial shows the importance of how we narrate the history of morality....

May 3, 2024
Saint Catherine of Siena in white veil and crown of thorns, looking down.

saints | Mental Health | reductionism

Diagnosing Saints

Identifying health issues in religious exemplars can help reduce stigma and illustrate that virtue and mental illness are not mutually exclusive, but we must hold such diagnoses lightly....

April 24, 2024