Sightings Articles
"American" Values Abroad -- William R. Burrows
Listening to programs like Leonard Lopate's New York & Company on National Public Radio, and reading the editorials in the New York Times in the wake of September 11th, I find myself amazed by the lack of cultural self-awareness among many Americans....
October 10, 2001
The Relevance of Niebuhrian Irony -- Martin E. Marty
Last week's issues of Sightings provoked opposite responses. The majority of respondents to Monday's column by Lloyd Averill dissented vigorously against a column that spoke up for the duty and mission of religious voices to reserve and exercise the ...
October 8, 2001
An Extraordinary Discussion -- Jean Bethke Elshtain
On Thursday, September 20, only hours before his speech before Congress, President George W. Bush spent over an hour talking and praying with a group of twenty some leaders of America's diverse religious communities. I was surprised and honored to be...
October 3, 2001
Needed: A Patriotism of Dissent -- Lloyd J. Averill
A patriotism of dissent has been one of the most vital ingredients of American political life throughout history. It has always been in the national interest to "speak truth to power," and never more so than in times of crisis. We are now entering an...
October 1, 2001
Pearl Harbor, Sarajevo, and the Events of September Eleventh -- Edward McGlynn Gaffney, Jr
As we grapple with the terrifying events of 11 September 2001, we are haunted by analogies from our past. But historical analogies require careful examination, for choosing among them influences the way we will think, speak, and act. Commenta...
September 26, 2001
The Voices of Our Young -- Martin E. Marty
Whoever goes sighting religion in American public life is likely to cast a camera eye on many a silver-crowned head. One takes for granted that participants in town meetings, forums, ceremonies, task forces, interest groups, lecture audiences, church...
September 24, 2001
The Voices of Our Young -- Martin E. Marty
Whoever goes sighting religion in American public life is likely to cast a camera eye on many a silver-crowned head. One takes for granted that participants in town meetings, forums, ceremonies, task forces, interest groups, lecture audiences, church...
September 24, 2001
Soundproof Apartments -- Jeremy G. Mallory
I was on the phone when I saw the huge plume of black smoke rising over the building that stands between my apartment and the Pentagon, barely a quarter-mile away. When I saw it, I was still staring open-mouthed at the pictures of the second plane sl...
September 19, 2001
The Importance of Getting It -- Martin E. Marty
SEPTEMBER 17, 2001 The nation and all its citizens, we included, are getting lessons on the practice of public religion, especially in the form of prayers and worship. There is no problem sighting its presence, in a nation that used to be describe...
September 17, 2001
A Letter from Ground Zero -- Stephan Bouman
One way to treat the public role of "private" or "congregational" religion in a moment such as this one is through close-ups. I chose this e-mail because it is just such a close-up. It is from our friend Stephen Bouman, bishop of the Evangelical Luth...