Sightings Articles

The Pope in a white hat and white robe waves with his right hand with his back turned toward the camera.

Catholicism | Pope Benedict XVI | Pope Francis

Papal Fallibility

Commentary prompted by the recent death of emeritus Pope Benedict XVI unsurprisingly indexes the usual binaries of sensationalized speculation. ...

January 4, 2023
Football fan waves South Korean flag in front of packed stadium at the World Cup 2022

World Cup | Loyalty | tolerance

Loyalty and the World Cup

Observing loyalty to loyalty at the World Cup invites us to reevaluate our public life....

December 15, 2022
Gazing upward at a grey church and red cross against a blue sky with scattered clouds

Evangelicalism | Protestantism | ecumenism

Protestants and American National Destiny

In the latter half of the 20th century, conservative evangelical churches flourished by providing a safe harbor for white Americans who wanted to be counted as Christian while avoiding challenges that mainline leaders insisted must be faced....

December 8, 2022
A white person dressed in black sitting in a black chair against a teal and white backdrop

Decolonization | hope | Media | imagination

The Sandman and Decolonializing Hope

The critically acclaimed Netflix show The Sandman addresses the transformational power of hope and imagination....

November 29, 2022
White Twitter bird logo with bright blue background

Antisemitism | Judaism | Religion and Literature

Misdiagnosing Jewish Loyalty

In literature and social media, people have written about Jews to draw boundaries between "in" and "out."...

November 17, 2022
Underwater image of blue tiled pool

Evangelicalism | politics | Media

Religion, Politics, and Jerry Falwell Jr.'s Fall from Grace

Hulu's new documentary about the Falwell family sheds light on entanglements of religion and politics and has important implications for the current moment....

November 11, 2022
Two skeletons facing each other against a purple and orange backdrop

Halloween | Rituals | Symbolism

Mary Douglas and the Ritual of Halloween

Halloween typifies the kinds of symbolic rituals present in our fragmented experience of modern life....

October 31, 2022
Two men in suit jackets and glasses facing each other

Theology | Philosophy | Bridge-Building

Encountering Marion: Notes from a Conversation with David Tracy

Next week's conference in honor of Jean-Luc Marion prompts reflection on the French scholar's career....

October 27, 2022
Crowd with hands raised in praise and illuminate by dark red light

Evangelicalism | racism | morality | tribalism

Moral Indignation and Reflections on Evangelicalism

The embrace of Herschel Walker by Georgia's white evangelicals reveals the betrayal of values once publicly espoused....

October 20, 2022
Black graduation caps and the backs of multiple heads

higher education | Economics | humanities

(Not) Doing It for the Money

The American educational system and religion are more closely tied to economics than is readily acknowledged....

October 13, 2022