Sightings Articles

Ukraine: Religion In Plain Sight?
When gods and kings are too closely aligned, religion becomes an engine of discord and war.
March 24, 2022

America the Imperfect, America the Beautiful
A veteran's reflection on the meaning of Memorial Day
May 31, 2021

In What Do We Trust?
Reflecting on what holds us together as a society that embodies justice
June 22, 2020

Commencement 2020: Let the Adulting Begin
What do this year's graduation ceremonies, hallmark rituals of American civil religion, reveal about the state of our collective soul?
May 21, 2020

Who—or What—is Above the Law?
The presence and absence of religion in the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump
January 23, 2020

Christmas Movies and the Religious Dimensions of Story Structure
Can religion help settle the debate about whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie?
December 2, 2019

What to the Immigrant is Veterans Day?
John Sianghio reflects on the complicated nature of American identity for immigrants today
November 14, 2019

The Blinding Idol
Daniel Owings discusses the shortcomings of idolatry imagery for understanding Donald Trump
October 17, 2019

Festivals of Forgetting
Perhaps more than other years, this July in the United States has been filled with festivals. President Trump’s excessive “Salute to America” was filled with jets, armored vehicles, marches, and a Presidential speech. Many have also enjoyed the mont...
July 22, 2019

Springsteen’s Promised Land (It’s Not What You Think)
Bruce Springsteen, a self-professed “lapsed” Roman Catholic whose spirituality draws heavily upon his upbringing, has crafted a career-long message: we, as individuals and as a nation, can transcend trauma. Netflix gave us an enormous gift recent...