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by Lee Gilmore These quiet, languid summer days are not the busiest season for religion news. Thus, now might be an excellent time to spotlight developments on the religious vanguard and to correct some misinformed notions that often shape media … Continue reading →

by Becky Garrison A recent Salon article analyzing the Supreme Court's decision to overturn a ban on the sale and rental of violent video games to children notes accurately that the culture-wide acceptance of violence over sex deserves some critical … Continue reading →

Maura Jane Farrelly Independence Day weekend brought to mind a bit of “news” that is a few days old, but nevertheless remains relevant: Michele Bachmann's latest gaffe about how the Founders “worked tirelessly to end slavery,” and how John Quincy … Continue reading →

by Kevin Healey In May, doomsayer Harold Camping garnered extensive coverage—from the curious to the condescending—for his ill-fated prediction of the Second Coming. While “The Colbert Report” spoofed the incident, NPR offered more sober speculations on an apparent “prophesy upswing.” … Continue reading →

by Nick Street As the New York Times reported yesterday, the Republican-controlled Senate of the state whose political establishment gave us the term “Rockefeller Republican” has passed legislation that, by the end of July, will double the number of gays … Continue reading →

by Brie Loskota The great American political experiment has passed many milestones along the path toward a more inclusive society. Kennedy broke barriers for Catholics, Geraldine Ferraro for women, Lieberman for Jews and Obama for African-Americans. But there are a … Continue reading →

by Chris Tokuhama “There are some genuinely bad people who would like to infiltrate our country,” Newt Gingrich asserted during the first Republican Presidential Debate in New Hampshire, “and we have got to have the guts to stand up and … Continue reading →

Su'ad Abdul Khabeer “He's Back!” quipped the headline of a news report on yesterday's congregational hearings, sponsored by New York Rep. Peter King (R-NY), on the alleged threat of terrorist recruitment in U.S. prisons. Whether that opener is read ominously … Continue reading →

by Sandi Dolbee Newsweek's cover story this month about the mainstreaming of Mormonism is another reminder of how religion coverage has become the Detroit of journalism — largely abandoned as a specialty beat and left to generalists, who, like absentee … Continue reading →

by Courtney Bender “Let's put aside the question of whether the people behind the bill to ban circumcision in San Francisco are anti-Semites,” Rebecca Newberger Goldstein suggests in a Washington Post blog. Instead she asks readers to consider the “big … Continue reading →