Resistance to the Trump administration, especially over its policy and actions on immigration, has injected new vitality into the religious left, although the staying power of such activism remains to be seen, according to reports. In the online newsletter Sightings (February 26), Richard Amesbury reports that “[r]eligious leaders, some in clerical collars or vestments, have […]
America is “in the middle of a second Mormon moment,” this time led by a cadre of women influencers and reality TV stars, some of whom are ex-members of the Latter-day Saints, reports New York magazine (February 9). The first wave of attention to Mormonism was fostered more than a decade ago by the presidential […]
Antisemitism within the American right has become the most divisive and contested issue among conservatives today, drawing pro-Israel evangelicals and Jews into more antagonistic relationships with other segments of the movement. “For more than four decades, the alliance between evangelicals and pro-Israel conservatives has been an almost uniquely powerful force in American politics,” Jonathan Mahler […]
The MAGA movement, which has been known to adapt religious practices and devotions to their politics, is reviving but also refashioning the rosary, writes Matthew Walther in a critical article in the Wall Street Journal (January 8). “Social-media platforms are suddenly full of images of the rosary being treated with all the gravity of a […]
Unlike previous years, when emerging trends unfolded on an unofficial level, in 2025, momentous events—war, an assassination, a papal election and a presidential reelection—will likely shape religious developments in the next year and beyond. Here are the editors’ selections of trends to watch out for in 2026. After each item, we cite the pertinent issues […]
If the U.S. military with its reorientation under the leadership of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has shown a strong interest in religion, it appears that the feeling is mutual, with the religious devotion of members of the military outpacing that of the population as a whole. Hegseth’s drive to revive traditional religious faith and […]
While the conflict between religious conservatives and liberals has long characterized the “two party” system in American religion, scholars are now observing a new divide between pluralists and anti-pluralists. This was evident in Johns Hopkins University sociologist Ruth Braunstein’s presidential address given at the early-November meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion […]
Religious AI is bringing about both a doctrinal mutation and cognitive mutation—substituting an algorithmic process for human mediation and modifying how believers perceive and construct spiritual meaning. So writes French political scientist François Mabille of the Geopolitical Observatory of Religion, in a Note of the Observatory (November). Through spiritual chatbots, AI is establishing itself as […]
American conservatives remain divided on the presence and influence of Muslims in society, but there may be a way to forge new ties between these two groups, according to some analysts. There is a strong anti-Muslim thrust in groups near the second administration of President Donald Trump, most clearly seen in the national conservative movement. […]
While American Islam is showing resilience among its second and third generations, African American Muslims and mosques are experiencing steep declines, writes Ihsan Bagby in the journal Muslim World (online in October). Bagby cites his 2020 U.S. Mosque Survey, where he found a majority of mosque leaders following what he calls a flexible and contextual […]
