Sightings

What Is Sightings?

The cliché about polite conversation is that there are two things never to discuss: religion and politics. We at Sightings know better (at least about religion). We seek out and comment on the events, agents, and trends in public life where issues of religion are writ large, in plain view—or just simmering under the surface.

Under the sponsorship of the Martin Marty Center, Sightings reports and comments on the role of religion in public life via e-mail twice a week to a readership of over 5,000. Through the eyes, ears, and keyboards of a diverse group of writers—academics, clergyman, laypeople, and students—Sightings displays the kaleidoscope of religious activity: a reflection of how religious currents are shaping and being shaped in the world.

In today’s world, the force of religion is active and increasingly obvious. In the last year, we monitored the movement of religious groups and persons as they surfaced in national and international politics, including the evangelical face of the Bush administration, the courtroom culture wars of “under God,” the very real war of “good and evil” in Iraq, charitable choice, religion and the 2004 presidential race, and the question of gay marriage, to name only a few.

We also, of course, have kept tabs on the world of religion—churchmen, doctrines, and holy intrigue—as it has spilled out into the public square (for better or worse) in columns on subway tract wars, the fall of bishops, the future of Christianity and secularization theory, the debate over the James ossuary, Jews in America, Kwanzaa, and more.

True to our calling, we have also sighted religion in unlikely places, including pop music (Madonna and Eminem), architecture (the design of the World Trade Center site), photojournalism (the “camera pieta”), as well as in obvious places, like Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code and Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ.

In this new feature on the Divinity School’s homepage, we plan to offer Sightings on “hot” topics as they arise at the intersection of religion and public life. Our hope is to provide a resource for members of the media and general public who seek opinions about religion in the news. Check back regularly as we add Sightings on new topics to this site.

Click here to subscribe to Sightings.

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