Sightings Articles

Epiphanies Of Power and/or Goodness
The epiphany of this January is at root about the profound need to civilize the nation.
January 12, 2022

The 1776 Report: Mind the (Religion) Gap
The revealing omissions in Trump's revisionist history of American Christianity
February 25, 2021

On Gods and Kings
How are we to “sight” the always intricate, sometimes chaotic, and too often hidden relationship between religious convictions and political order? More often than not it requires piecing together a jigsaw puzzle with hints from hither and yon, in bo...
January 28, 2019

Taking Exception: How Muhammad Ali Transformed American Religion
The morning after he defeated Sonny Liston for the world’s heavyweight boxing championship in February, 1964, Cassius Clay confirmed that he was a Muslim, a convert to Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam. To a reporter who referred to him as a “card-ca...
June 9, 2016

Connected Criticism -- Martin E. Marty
“Open your Bibles to the book of the Prophet Amos…” That sounds like a command from a Bible Class of old. Instead, it’s a response to a column by a favorite of ours, William Galston, from the Wall Street Journal (Feb. 24). Quoting Amos may seem arcan...
March 2, 2015

Exceptionalism -- Martin E. Marty
Flashback: 75-plus years ago, growing up in Nebraska, my friends and I looked for something that might give us any kind of bragging rights. We were envious of California, New York, etc. for being Number One in so many rankings, which left us out. As ...