Sightings Articles
The Future of New Orleans -- James B. Bennett
Religious institutions will play an important role in New Orleans' move from recovery to rebuilding, as a recent New York Times article describing the reopening of the St. Joan of Arc parish school reminds us. In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane ...
December 22, 2005
Observing the Holidays -- Martin E. Marty
On this day after the Festival of the Nativity, let's take off from sighting religious news. Relax—it's 340 days until the next "December wars" break out. This is a "down" week for everyone but store clerks, until Saturday, New Year's Eve (St. Sylves...
December 19, 2005
Discoveries at Megiddo Prison -- Laurie Brink
The recent discovery in Israel of a structure that may have served as a Christian church in the third or fourth century has captured the imagination of early Christian scholars, archaeologists, and the laity. Discovered during a preliminary dig prior...
December 15, 2005
Comments on Context -- Martin E. Marty
"December wars": Do we need, and would you want, one more op-ed about them? Already fifty years ago, when I began to moonlight in journalism, we were worrying about the secularization and commercialization of Christmas. Now the debate revolves around...
December 12, 2005
Our History of Violence -- James K. A. Smith
David Cronenberg's most recent film, A History of Violence, interrogates violence on a number of levels and includes various modes of disturbance -- from sadomasochistic eroticism to violence against children, along with key scenes involving bodily f...
December 8, 2005
Down But Not Out -- Martin E. Marty
In his December 1 column, David Brooks calls ours "The Age of Skepticism" (New York Times). Reliably conservative as always, Brooks surveys the national scene. His verdict: The Iraq War and US citizens' attitudes? Down. Trust in government? Down. In ...
December 5, 2005
A Sikh Thanksgiving in Queens -- Matthew Weiner
The Sikh community of New York City hosted a thanksgiving feast for local religious leaders, the NYPD, court officials, and a representative of the DA's office, hoping to initiate a program of hospitality and patriotism—and they succeeded with a litt...
December 1, 2005
Gambling with Values and Morals -- Martin E. Marty
While our gazes were averted for some months, the Christian Right remained in the news. Though moderate publications like Christianity Today scrupulously cover the financial, plagiarism, and sexual scandals that afflict especially the more entreprene...
November 28, 2005
Religious Rights in Vietnam -- Alison L. Boden
Editor's Note: Sightings will be on holiday break the week of November 21, and will resume on Monday, November 28. I recently returned from a trip to Vietnam with a group of University of Chicago faculty and students to study first-hand the sta...