Sightings Articles
Time in a Prophetic Frame
Many voices in America today claim the mantle of prophecy; the differences between them are illuminating
February 22, 2021
Symphonic Politics, Sibelius, and the Immanent Messiah
Our country cannot afford to wait for a miracle. The music of Jean Sibelius teaches us what the alternatives might look like.
January 11, 2021
When Christ and Trump are Kings
Twin chants at a recent Trump rally shed light on the religious right's push towards nationalism
December 3, 2020
Stop Asking What the Bible Means to the President
A historian of the bible in America reflects on what Trump’s recent photo-op in front of St. John’s Church does (and doesn’t) mean
June 8, 2020
Playing the Ostrich; or, How Not to Think about QAnon
American conspiracy theories and the task of the scholar of religion
May 18, 2020
Scapegoating Mitt Romney
What Mitt Romney's disinvitation from CPAC 2020 tells us about the evolving role of religion in public life for the Christian Right
March 12, 2020
General Suleimani, U.S. Policy, and Jus ad Vim
Why we need a better way of talking about the use of “force short of war”
January 9, 2020
Free Speech in Poetry and in Prose
What the President's executive order to combat anti-Semitism teaches us about the abuse and misunderstanding of free speech
December 16, 2019
Paula White and the Mainstreaming of American Pentecostalism
Trump's appointment of Paula White is an indicator of shifting lines within the Christian right
November 7, 2019
The Blinding Idol
Daniel Owings discusses the shortcomings of idolatry imagery for understanding Donald Trump