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A scholar of nonviolence shares his struggle with Jewish identity during a time of escalating conflict and violence in Israel.

Obama’s civil religion, like JFK’s and Bush’s before him, emphasizes the connection between God and American ideals. But Obama spoke not of “endowed rights” but of “God-given promise.” Rights are inherent in the creature while promises are to be fulfilled.

The presidential inauguration showed that an enforceable wall of separation between church and state simply does not exist in America, at least at the level of expression in the public square. What is the future of secularism in our religious democracy?

A study shows that progressive women activists are motivated by values, but not the “values voter” kind. How about mutual responsibility, community, and concern for others?

Plus: Anti-abortion groups march on; Tony Perkins’ advice to Obama; Focus on the Family sets Newsweek straight; CPAC rides again; a boom in Christian films; and Training against the death penalty.

The new Patriarch is considered a modernist, but his support for freedom of religion is spotty, and Russia’s fledgling gay rights movement will not find an ally in Kirill.

The Employee Free Choice Act will go a long way toward expanding workplace democracy. Progressive religious leaders, whatever their disagreements might be, must come together to support the restoring of dignity to those who labor honestly.

The Democratic leadership caved in to conservative Republicans on family planning this week. The opposition for the religious right goes back to the historic rupture between sex and reproduction in the 20th century.

Bishop Harry Jackson, the African American head of the High Impact Leadership Coalition, has raised his profile by joining with top-shelf Religious Right groups in opposing gay rights and the inclusion of gays in hate crimes legislation.

Indignant responses to the Janet Jackson nipple slip and the somber post-9/11 halftime show reveal glimpses of the sanctity of this yearly ritual, but it’s also in the creation of icons, the reinforcement of rules, and Americans telling themselves stories about themselves.