Is the Passover table the right place for political debates?

Prediction season is upon us. Here are three issues that could be an important piece of religion coverage in 2019.

Faith groups have played an important role in marijuana policy debates in the United States and around the world.

John McCain rarely spoke at length about his faith, but his political career illustrates how the relationship between evangelical Christians and the Republican Party has evolved over time.

Elizabeth Sherman is an assistant professor of American politics at American University in Washington, D.C. She recently wrote an analysis of John McCain’s legacy, exploring his views on the relationship between religion and politics, for The Conversation.

Erik Nielson is an associate professor of liberal arts at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Va. He is co-editor of The Hip Hop and Obama Reader , and beginning in spring 2018 he and hip-hop artist Mad Skillz will co-teach a class on hip-hop and politics. Nielson blogs about hip-hop and the broader culture here.

Jody Hice is a Republican U.S. representative from Georgia and a Southern Baptist pastor. He introduced the Free Speech Fairness Act, an amendment to the Johnson Amendment, with House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La. Hice may be contacted via his website.

Peter G. Heltzel is associate professor of systematic theology at New York Theological Seminary and an ordained minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He is the author of Jesus and Justice: Evangelicals, Race and American Politics.

John S. Dickerson is an evangelical Christian pastor and author of The Great Evangelical Recession: 6 Factors that Will Crash the American Church … and How to Prepare. He has written about evangelicals and presidential politics for The New York Times. Dickerson is the teaching pastor at Venture Christian Church in Los Gatos, Calif.