https://politicalresearch.org/ The latest research related to religion is as religion does en https://religiondispatches.org/2023/06/15/conservative-christians-insist-toxic-theology-portrayed-duggar-family-doc-fringe-it Conservative Christian social media influencers have an important message to deliver after a new documentary about the Duggar family thrust the conservative Christian Institute in Basic Life Principles into a mainstream spotlight: We’re not like them—they’re a fringe organization. And… Thu, 15 Jun 2023 01:14:14 EDT Caroline Matas e81880e8-9f00-4113-a7d5-fe04992a311f https://religiondispatches.org/2023/02/09/christian-nationalism-authentically-christian-and-according-new-poll-most-white When I attended K-12 evangelical Christian schools in the 1980s and 1990s, we didn’t call ourselves Christian nationalists; we just called ourselves Christians. As the pious Christians we were (compelled to be), we memorized Bible verses for assignments, attended mandatory… Thu, 09 Feb 2023 04:07:12 EST Chrissy Stroop fe34f301-d905-4f23-bb96-4ea2daab96a3 https://religiondispatches.org/2022/06/16/republican-lauren-boebert-jokes-about-ar-15s-and-jesus-and-yes-shes-real-christian In the aftermath of the Buffalo and Uvalde shootings —and the 54 mass shootings ( and counting ) that have happened since—America’s right-wing Christians have been busy defending their “ god-given ” right to own AR-15s. Like they always do… Thu, 16 Jun 2022 04:39:05 EDT Chrissy Stroop 7d022ced-e789-401b-9b60-ae36f0735bef https://religiondispatches.org/2022/03/15/putin-real-christian-understand-conflict-we-need-ask-different-questions Vladimir Putin’s campaign of violence in Ukraine has brought to the fore questions about his longstanding religious connections, prompting scholars and journalists to challenge his well-marketed piety and seemingly deep devotion to Russian Orthodox spirituality — the latter of which… Tue, 15 Mar 2022 12:00:16 EDT Sarah Riccardi-Swartz, Robert Saler 3ad3244f-b812-465c-adb3-1206d99052f4 https://religiondispatches.org/2022/01/04/one-year-after-16-media-still-refuse-recognize-authoritarian-christianity One of those unspoken social rules I’ve never been very good at observing is that new years are supposed to be greeted with optimism, and this year is no different. Here we are at the beginning of 2022, one year… Tue, 04 Jan 2022 05:57:51 EST Chrissy Stroop 33278426-6da7-4200-b6f6-7aaad087d89b https://religiondispatches.org/2021/11/03/so-you-want-write-article-deflecting-all-blame-christianity-handy-guide For over five years, the brief presidency of Donald J. Trump and its wake have produced a certain kind of editorial that still doesn’t have a name. You know the topic, and the template: earnest reporter from a coastal city… Wed, 03 Nov 2021 10:10:35 EDT Robert Repino c2020c55-5d2f-44cc-a49d-c47b155dc8c1 https://religiondispatches.org/2021/10/13/americas-jesus-problem-making-progressive-christians-complicit-christian-supremacy As we reflect on the implications of the Trump years there have been several books exploring the convergence of white evangelical Christianity, right-wing nationalism, and Trumpism as it morphed into a virulent form white Christian nationalism. These books offer critiques… Wed, 13 Oct 2021 02:09:34 EDT A. E. Brooks-Key b44b316d-ea25-407a-b65d-2ddc80d6c7a9 https://religiondispatches.org/2021/08/25/fake-christian-deflection-and-contrarian-concern-trolling-how-not-write-about Over the last couple of weeks, America’s conservative, mostly white evangelicals have once again generated considerable buzz—and deserved criticism—over their authoritarian attitudes and behaviors. For example, as Christian nationalism has featured prominently at rallies against mask mandates and the Covid… Wed, 25 Aug 2021 05:14:08 EDT Chrissy Stroop 92414ce7-b8dd-4a21-89cd-0a2724e5e381 https://religiondispatches.org/2021/03/17/dont-discount-evangelicalism-factor-racist-murder-asian-spa-workers-georgia Today, America is still reeling from the news of the mass murder of eight people at massage parlors in Georgia. Many are rightly calling the shooting spree an act of white supremacist terrorism, as the victims targeted were Asian women… Wed, 17 Mar 2021 04:35:24 EDT Chrissy Stroop cfb852fa-f3dd-4d2e-a776-8ad33eb4b24a https://religiondispatches.org/2021/01/29/stop-trying-save-jesus-fandamentalism-reinforces-problem-christian-supremacism If you’ve spent much time around fandoms, online or off, you’ve surely heard something like, “Celebrity X (or TV show, or book series, etc.) is great, but my God , their fans are the worst .” Of course, sometimes the… Fri, 29 Jan 2021 03:08:00 EST Chrissy Stroop 5995e403-eaee-4773-964e-aeef76ebb106 https://religiondispatches.org/2021/01/14/attack-us-capitol-has-many-journos-finally-taking-white-evangelical-authoritarianism-and A month ago, I argued here on RD that America’s national conversation about Christianity is “fundamentally unserious.” Not because, as conservative Christian commentator Bonnie Kristian would have it , Democrats find it offensive when an elected Republican like Rep. Madison… Thu, 14 Jan 2021 12:21:35 EST Chrissy Stroop d15fdda2-be80-4518-9fcd-7bf492d01e8b https://religiondispatches.org/2020/12/10/americas-national-conversation-about-christianity-fundamentally-unserious-not-way-you As I’ve argued before, the United States, an ostensibly secular country, has a de facto Christian public sphere. When conservative, mostly white Christians make headlines for doing something illiberal, like raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the legal defense… Thu, 10 Dec 2020 12:58:50 EST Chrissy Stroop 0cdb2c37-1542-431e-b6c5-71decabccd1b https://religiondispatches.org/2020/09/02/news-flash-christian-supporters-kenosha-killer-are-christians With white evangelicals, America’s most pro-Trump demographic, currently in the news for sex scandals , committing violence , and defending violence , we once again find the meaning of Christianity being debated in the public sphere. The Christian crowdfunding site… Wed, 02 Sep 2020 05:11:51 EDT Chrissy Stroop 8fe4e7ca-0617-426e-85a7-8454d29b3f35 https://religiondispatches.org/2020/09/02/fundraising-kyle-rittenhouse-reveals-american-christianitys-white-supremacy-problem Christianity has long had a white supremacy problem. The Kenosha aftermath has just made it clear. GiveSendGo, a “Christian crowdfunding” site has raised more than $360,000 for Kyle Rittenhouse, the white 17-year-old boy from Illinois who came to Kenosha with… Wed, 02 Sep 2020 05:06:30 EDT Andrew L. Seidel bc484751-74a8-4a89-8e04-28212a7dbf82 https://religiondispatches.org/2018/06/29/can-christians-lie-how-conservative-evangelical-bible-interpretation-has-shaped-truth We are all like Sanders and other conservative white evangelicals insofar as we all have confirmation bias, making it difficult for us to accept evidence contrary to what we already believe, but the history and faith practices of white evangelicals offer an additional set of tools of belief. Fri, 29 Jun 2018 04:21:13 EDT Christopher Douglas 8a8bab88-410e-4e4e-ba0f-fb04a066a1ce https://religiondispatches.org/2016/04/04/real-evangelicals-dont-support-trump-not-so-fast Since Donald Trump started winning Republican primaries this winter, evangelical leaders have looked to absolve themselves of the taint that has come with the surprising news of his significant support among white evangelicals. Trump’s announcement last June that he would… Mon, 04 Apr 2016 01:48:55 EDT Neil J. Young 918c278c-0f60-4643-aa9a-622033544e30 https://religiondispatches.org/2013/12/12/yes-navy-yard-shooter-was-buddhist Despite the fact that, like Buddhism, Islam prohibits murder, the two are treated quite differently when it comes to its adherents committing acts of violence. Thu, 12 Dec 2013 05:53:57 EST Joshua Eaton 69637f8d-1a88-4492-ad9d-f092a4955ab1 https://religiondispatches.org/2013/12/12/navy-yard-shooting-why-its-not-religion-story What seemed to propel the confusion saturating the media’s initial coverage of Aaron Alexis was the role of religion and, more specifically, the profile on Buddhists. Why would a reporter expect a person of another religion to “pick up a weapon and kill twelve people,” but not a Buddhist? Thu, 12 Dec 2013 05:51:10 EST Michael Jerryson 4fc13503-67e1-4411-a611-b1535ea669d4 https://religiondispatches.org/2012/10/09/how-separate-jewishness-zionism Parting Ways is Butler’s attempt to construct a Jewish narrative that coheres with her philosophical and political sensibilities as well as her allegiance to her Jewish heritage and lineage. As a Jew for whom religious practice and the Jewish textual tradition do not constitute her Jewish core, hers is a secular narrative of Jewishness outside the orbit of Zionism. Butler’s concern for Israel is that she believes its present construction is “Jewishly” indefensible (in the terms she develops in her book) and the muscularity with which Zionism is proffered squashes any alternative narrative of diasporic Jewish identity. Tue, 09 Oct 2012 06:35:50 EDT Shaul Magid 06b08a9d-68d3-40a0-aae6-785d240805e7 https://religiondispatches.org/2012/04/17/norways-suspected-murderer-anders-breivik-christian-terrorist If Anders Behring Breivik isn’t a Christian terrorist, then the same can be said of Osama bin Laden and many other Islamist activists—whose writings show that they were much more interested in Islamic history than theology or scripture and imagined themselves as re-creating glorious moments in Islamic history in their own imagined wars. Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:18:43 EDT Mark Juergensmeyer 06408f24-9ed6-4e40-9077-e2ff28c1b262 https://religiondispatches.org/2010/08/23/coulter-calls-wnd-fake-christians What in the world is happening to conservatives these days? Mon, 23 Aug 2010 01:44:06 EDT Candace Chellew-Hodge 03b1d308-4ebc-42b4-91ed-58fbcb89204f