Sightings Articles
The Lessons of Pietism -- Dr. Lowell Zuck
Pietism is usually understood as a reform movement within German Lutheranism initiated by Philip Jakob Spener. Spener emphasized individual conversion, "living faith," and the fruits of faith. The name "Pietism" is derived from the "collegia pietatis...
January 3, 2002
Stories of the Year and of History -- Martin E. Marty
At year’s end observers of American culture are busy trying to make sense of the religion they have been sighting as seldom before in 2001. For many, this means choosing the "Top Ten" religion stories of the year or, more appropriately, choosing the ...
December 31, 2001
Music and the Church -- Martin E. Marty
Last week Sightings spotted a New York Times writer saying nice things about some Southern Baptists for their charity. This week, on Christmas Eve, we look back to another Times seasonal story, and find it saying things naughty -- not nice -- about C...
December 24, 2001
Saved by Zero? -- Jon Pahl
Connections between religion and advertising are mutual and frequent in American public life. Yet the post-September television advertisements of two major automobile companies seem to have crossed a troubling threshold. Like most people, I d...
December 20, 2001
A Conventional Clean-Up? -- Martin E. Marty
Every time the Southern Baptist Convention does something "in-your-face," the organs that its defenders call "the media" swoop in on them. Sometimes comprehendingly and sometimes uncomprehendingly, they criticize the assumptions and pronouncements of...
December 17, 2001
Statistically Speaking --Martin E. Marty
Last Thursday the Pew Research Center and the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released data on a sure-to-be-noticed-poll. It assesses American attitudes to matters religious after September eleventh. To the degree that one trusts such polls, on...
December 10, 2001
Searching in Vain for an Essence -- Jonathan Gold
George W. Bush has taken a stand on the true nature of Islam, calling it, for instance, a "religion of peace." As strange as this is to hear from the president of the United States, Bush's declarations have given rise to a good deal of useful public ...
December 6, 2001
December Belongings -- Martin E. Marty
"Islam Gets Spot for the Holidays," headlined the November seventeenth issue of The Chicago Tribune. The subhead read: "Minaret to Join Manger, Menorah." Similar headlines appear in newspapers across the country. On one side, the negative, they repre...
December 3, 2001
No, There Is NOT a Holy Roller Coaster -- R. Jonathan Moore
In Florida, Orange County property appraiser William Donegan wants to tax Christ's tomb. One can only assume that his position is not an elected one. Donegan is seeking to generate revenue not just from Jesus' tomb, but also from the city of ...
November 29, 2001
Pilgrims' Progress? -- Martin E. Marty
What or who killed the Pilgrims? I don't mean what literally killed them. Disease, want, and the perils of the wilderness -- not the Native Americans -- claimed many during the seasons "before Thanksgiving" after the Mayflower landed. I mean "what" a...