Sightings Articles
Rebirth? — Martin E. Marty
Conservative evangelicals, one-fourth-plus of Americans, do not make up a solid, changeless bloc. Monitoring them, observing their fluidity, is an occasional task for Sightings. One of their voices, the weekly magazine World, offers two glimpses that...
December 8, 2003
The Idol of Empire — James Wellman
In his State of the Union address, which is now being used in a campaign commercial, President Bush said, "It would take one vial, one canister, one crate slipped into this country to bring a day of horror like none we have ever known." Who among us ...
December 4, 2003
Recalling Niebuhr — Martin E. Marty
"Liberals lay claim to Niebuhr's legacy" read a headline in The Christian Century (November 29) about Reinhold Niebuhr, the most notable U.S.-born public theologian of the century past (and brother of H. Richard, the most notable theologians' theolog...
December 1, 2003
Making Exceptions — Martin E. Marty
The Economist (November 6) brought new life to old debates about American exceptionalism by devoting a whole supplement to "A Nation Apart." Thesis: "Americans are becoming more religious, but notnecessarily more censorious" reads the headline for a ...
November 24, 2003
A New World — James L. Evans
The sci-fi thriller The Matrix reached its conclusion last week with the release of Matrix Revolutions, the third and final installment in the series. The basic story chronicles a futuristic battle between humans and computer-driven machines. Along w...
November 19, 2003
Tipping the Plate — Martin E. Marty
Sighting religion in public demands attention to money and giving, a theme that is as old as any measure in scriptures. In November we give particular attention to this subject, as this is the month when charities make their final pitches for the yea...
November 17, 2003
As the World Groans — Ronald E. George
A memorable phrase from church history has come to mind since the consecration of the openly gay Gene Robinson as bishop coadjutor of New Hampshire. The fourth century biblical scholar Jerome once wrote of his church's recent history: "The whole worl...
November 13, 2003
Where's the Story? — Martin E. Marty
Sightings sometimes sights the sighters, people who write on religion in newspapers, magazines, and the like as members of the Religion Newswriters Association (RNA). To cite them may seem like shop-talk, something that should concern the professiona...
November 9, 2003
Kinder, Gentler Passion — Spencer Dew
Mel Gibson's upcoming film "The Passion of Christ" (formerly "The Passion") portrays the final 12 hours in the life of Jesus, opening with a quote from the prophet Isaiah and an image of Jesus crushing a snake beneath his heel. Gibson believes that t...
November 6, 2003
Charitable Choice — Sheila Suess Kennedy
At a recent lecture by eminent sociologist Robert Wuthnow, I was introduced to the speaker by one of my colleagues, who mentioned my three-year study of the first Charitable Choice legislation -- the precursor to President Bush's Faith-Based Initiati...