Sightings Articles
René Girard and the True Meaning of Christmas
“What’s all this violence? It’s Christmas…”...
December 19, 2023
Structural Violence in the Headlines
Focusing only on direct violence obscures other, potentially more harmful, social injustices....
November 21, 2023
The Prophetic and the Pragmatic in Cornel West
Using the language of prophecy and vocation to describe West’s campaign raises some interesting questions—not only about West but about what it means to be prophetic....
June 9, 2023
This is the Way: Daoist Themes in Star Wars
Return of the Jedi resonates with themes, ideas, and symbolism from real-world religious traditions....
May 3, 2023
On ChatGPT: A Letter to My Students
The rapid development of AI-generated content has led to something of a crisis in higher education. ...
April 6, 2023
Lies, Damned Lies, and George Santos
Dismissing Santos' lies endangers truth, accountability, and democracy....
January 27, 2023
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
Attention, Please
A culture of distraction may detract from religiosity and lead to lazy secularism....
September 22, 2022
Thoughts and Prayers
As inhabitants of the only country in the world where school shootings are routine, the American faithful must not pray for serenity, but for courage....
June 8, 2022
Getting Serious about Legally Blonde
The 2001 comedy shatters expectations about what makes a good heroine...