Sightings Articles
The World House — Robert M. Franklin
As war rages in Iraq and as President Bush advocates a budget that many fear will further neglect the nation's poor, the writings and ministry of Martin Luther King, Jr., are as relevant as ever. In particular, the urgent message of his largely ignor...
March 31, 2005
Peace for Terri Schiavo — Martin E. Marty
Today down the street at a hospice or in your neighborhood hospital, one of many thousands of Americans is in a coma, or is "brain dead," or in a "persistent vegetative state," or any of a score of variations on the above. Unless the person is your p...
March 28, 2005
The New Reformation of You — Peder Jothen
Following the recent courtroom shootings and hostage taking in Atlanta, Georgia, headlines such as "Hostage Says Book Gave Her 'Purpose'" (Baltimore Sun, March 15, 2005) trumpeted the role that Rick Warren's book The Purpose Driven Life played in end...
March 24, 2005
Mansfield's Manliness — Martin E. Marty
Harvard notable Harvey Mansfield's review article of two new editions of books by Theodore Roosevelt begins: "The most obvious feature of Theodore Roosevelt's life and thought is the one least celebrated today, his manliness. Somehow America in the t...
March 21, 2005
Moses Goes to Washington -- Jerome Eric Copulsky and Michael Jon Kessler
Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a potentially explosive set of cases that will determine whether the Ten Commandments can be displayed in or around government buildings. At issue will be whether the displays constitute a governmen...
March 17, 2005
Samurai Soteriology — David L. Simmons
With Hollywood still buzzing about the recent 77th Academy Awards ceremony, this is a good time to consider one of the most influential forces shaping our attitudes about religion: the movies. My favorite movie from the past year was ignored at the O...
March 10, 2005
Fun for Christian Soldiers? — Martin E. Marty
"It's fun to shoot some people." "You got guys who ... ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." Speaking out was Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis of the U.S. Marine Corps. Chastened by his superior and inspiring reacti...
March 7, 2005
Gorilla Religiosus — Janet Spittler
On February 14, officials at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago announced that a thirty-five year old gorilla named Kumba was euthanized following a slow decline related to renal failure. The Chicago Tribune offered a short piece on the passing of this "shy...
March 3, 2005
Conservative Hopes for Liberalism — Martin E. Marty
Sightings likes to look both right and left. Few magazines in our library or mailbox are liberal, but the sometimes somewhat liberal New Republic, which celebrates its ninetieth anniversary this very day, is here with an issue dedicated "To Liberalis...
February 28, 2005
The Political Future of Black Churches — Melissa Harris-Lacewell
Last October I wrote a column for Sightings presenting evidence that African American political participation is directly influenced by the content of black religious beliefs ("Black Churches: Liberation or Prosperity?"). Specifically, my piece sugge...