Sightings Articles
God versus God by Martin E. Marty
We are in for another intense round of “God vs. God,” “Our God vs. Their God,” “Good God vs. Bad God=Devil.” The current round comes from many readers of Mosab Hassan Yousef’s new Son of Hamas, which reads like a spy novel and whose “gripping” plot ...
March 8, 2010
Seeing Nazis Massacred, Followed by Humorless Analysis by Mark Bilby
Warning: Spoilers below....
March 4, 2010
Biblical Literalism by Martin E. Marty
Lauren Ashley, self-proclaimed Miss Beverly Hills, now rejected by Hills officials, is drawing more media attention as an oracle than anyone else since another would-be Beauty Queen, Carrie Prejean, spoke. Both commented on homosexuality. We news-s...
March 1, 2010
In Toyota We Trust by Frances Leap
The nearly-blanket news coverage that Toyota and its unraveling have received from all media, but especially NPR, is an indicator of much more than a slow news time, which it is not. The massive recalls seem to be a faith crisis for an entire segmen...
February 25, 2010
Sexuality by Martin E. Marty
Thirteen months ago Sightings commented on a report by the Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice and Healing, and its unsurprising finding that most theological seminaries do nothing to prepare future ministers to deal with sexual issues. ...
February 22, 2010
Public Roles, Private Persons by Debra Erickson
A few weeks ago, Sightings ran a piece by Courtney Wilder on the clergy fashion advice blog Beauty Tips for Ministers. In highlighting the dilemmas faced by female clergy – the clashing of expectations that occurs in a profession in which the line b...
February 18, 2010
Everydayishness by Martin E. Marty
“Sightings” in the past week included numerous stories on “secularization” and “religious decline” in the United States. Catholics and leaders in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities debate in print: Do their higher academies help st...
February 15, 2010
Malls versus Mecca? by Jon Pahl
President George W. Bush, to his credit, tried not to scapegoat Muslims for 9/11 and other acts of terrorism. "We are not at war with Islam," Bush repeatedly intoned. Many Americans haven't gotten the message. They still see the world in a populis...
February 11, 2010
Cultural Disruptions by Martin E. Marty
This week we reflect on issues posed in a thoughtful piece by Leon Wieseltier in the February 18th New Republic, titled “Aftershocks.” A question it inspires: Is there a framework in which to place the fights-of-the-week that made news on the “reli...
February 8, 2010
Keeping on the Sunny Side: Southern Traditionalism's Bid for Academic Respectability and Tolerance by John Howell
According to a December 6, 2009, article for the Chronicle of Higher Education, entitled “Scholars Nostalgic for the Old South Study the Virtues of Secession, Quietly,” genteel southern traditionalism is having a coming out party. In the article, wr...