Last year was a banner year for religion in the headlines with the ongoing Rohingya Muslim crisis, a high-profile church shooting, a proposed move for the U.S. Embassy in Israel and the growing influence of evangelicalism on politics. And that’s just to name a few.
What will 2018 bring for religion in the news? Pundits and prognosticators have weighed in, including Jerome Socolovsky, editor-in-chief of Religion News Service, a nonsectarian wire service dedicated to the coverage of all faiths. This edition of ReligionLink offers resources, background and top sources to help reporters tackle Socolovsky’s list of 10 national and international stories that bear watching in 2018:
– How will religious institutions respond to the #metoo movement, with stories of abuse already making the rounds online via the #churchtoo hashtag?
– The 50th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination on April 4 will likely be an occasion to reflect on how far the United States has come on race, and religious leaders will no doubt be prominent voices in that conversation.
– Will the ban on travel from six predominantly Muslim countries — which Trump says will protect the nation from terrorists — be upheld by the Supreme Court against the challenges wending their way through lower courts?
– As the “brogrammers” of Silicon Valley develop troubled consciences and yearnings for transcendent meaning, will any progress be made in the creation of a new religion based on Artificial Intelligence?
– The canonization of martyred Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, long-stalled because of his ties to liberation theology, could take place next year and be a milestone in Pope Francis’ reorienting of the Catholic Church’s priorities.
– Ireland, which has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe, will hold a referendum on abortion. It’s scheduled to take place weeks before the first papal visit to the country since 1978.
– After the arrest of dozens of clerics this year, what will come of Crown Prince Salman’s efforts to bring Saudi Arabia’s religious establishment to heel and push for a more open brand of Islam in which their role is limited?
– What will be the fate of Jared Kushner’s efforts to devise a peace plan in the Middle East after Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital?
– Will the relationship between Israeli and American Jews be further strained after the Israeli government endorsed the ultra-Orthodox stance forbidding men and women to pray together at the Western Wall?
– How will the Supreme Court rule in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case about the limits of free speech and religious freedom and on another case about California’s requirement that pregnancy centers post notices about publicly funded abortions?
The predictions
How will religious institutions respond to the #metoo movement, with stories of abuse already making the rounds online via the #churchtoo hashtag?
Background:
- Read “Sexual Abuse Happens in #ChurchToo — We’re Living Proof” by Hannah Paasch for HuffPost, Dec. 4, 2017.
- Read “The Religious Community Is Speaking Out Against Sexual Violence with #ChurchToo” by Casey Quackenbush for Time, Nov. 22, 2017.
- Read “Sexual harassment and the church” by Kira Schlesinger for Ministry Matters website, Oct. 16, 2017.
Relevant ReligionLink tips:
Top sources:
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Ellen T. Armour
Ellen T. Armour is E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Chair in Religion, Gender and Sexuality at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and a professor in the Divinity School. Her research interests include feminist theology; theories of sexuality, race, gender, disability and embodiment; and contemporary continental philosophy.
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Lallene Rector
Lallene Rector is president of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill. She is also director of its WomenIMAGES center.
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Kira Schlesinger
Kira Schlesinger is a priest at Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Lebanon, Tenn., and author of Pro-Choice and Christian: Reconciling Faith, Politics and Justice. She wrote about sexual harassment in the church after the Harvey Weinstein accusations were published.
The 50th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination on April 4 will likely be an occasion to reflect on how far the United States has come on race, and religious leaders will no doubt be prominent voices in that conversation.
Background:
- Watch “Millennials and the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.” that aired on Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, Jan. 13, 2017.
- Read “Martin Luther King Jr. Doesn’t Belong To You” by Jamil Smith for the New Republic, Jan. 18, 2016.
- The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn. — formerly the Lorraine Motel where King was shot — is holding a yearlong commemoration of King’s assassination, through April 4, 2018. Elisha Obasuyi is communications coordinator, [email protected], 901-521-9699, ext. 2438.
- PBS maintains a website on King’s legacy that includes links and videos.
Relevant ReligionLink tips:
Top sources:
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Lewis V. Baldwin
The Rev. Lewis V. Baldwin is a professor emeritus of religious studies at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. He edited the book The Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.: The Boundaries of Law, Politics and Religion.
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Clayborne Carson
Clayborne Carson is a Stanford University history professor and founding director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute. He is an expert on the interface between faith and social justice.
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Marc Schneier
Rabbi Marc Schneier is founder and president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and a leading figure in building up relationships between the Jewish community and African-Americans, Latinos, Christians and Muslims. He wrote Shared Dreams: Martin Luther King Jr. & the Jewish Community.
Will the ban on travel from six predominantly Muslim countries be upheld by the Supreme Court against the challenges wending their way through lower courts?
Background:
- Read “Muslim Ban? Fewer Muslim Refugees, Immigrants and Travelers Enter U.S. in 2017” by David Bier for the Cato Institute, Dec. 12, 2017.
- Read “Supreme Court allows full enforcement of Trump travel ban” by Mark Sherman for The Associated Press, Dec. 4, 2017.
Relevant ReligionLink tips:
- Muslims and civil rights: A continuing debate
- Mapping Muslim assimilation: Islam’s growing social infrastructure
- Covering Islam 101
Top sources:
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Bryan Fischer
Bryan Fischer is the former director of issue analysis for government and public policy at the American Family Association, where he is now host of its “Focal Point” radio show. He has suggested that no more Muslims should be allowed to immigrate to the U.S.
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Faiyez Jaffer
Faiyez Jaffer is an affiliate chaplain at the Center of Global Spiritual Life at New York University in New York City. He is an American-born Muslim and wrote about the travel ban’s consequences for Shiite Muslims.
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Kathleen M. Moore
Kathleen M. Moore is chair of religious studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara, where she is an expert on Islamic studies, law and religion. She has also studied how “Muslim” has become an identity — and not just a faith — in America. She is the author of a paper on American attitudes toward Muslim immigration since 9/11.
As Silicon Valley develops troubled consciences and yearnings for transcendent meaning, will progress be made in new religion based on artificial Intelligence?
Background:
- Read “Where Silicon Valley Is Going to Get in Touch With Its Soul” by Nellie Bowles for The New York Times, Dec. 4, 2017.
- Read “Inside the First Church of Artificial Intelligence” by Mark Harris for Wired, Nov. 15, 2017.
- Read “God is a Bot and Anthony Levandowski is His Messenger” by Mark Harris for Wired, Sept. 27, 2017.
- Read “As artificial intelligence grows, so do perceived threats to human uniqueness” by Rosalie Chan for Religion News Service, Aug. 1, 2017.
Resources:
- Way of the Future is the “church” and “religion” founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneur and technology guru Anthony Levandowski.
Relevant ReligionLink tips:
Top sources:
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Christopher Benek
Christopher Benek is a Presbyterian pastor and frequent commentator on emerging technology and theology, including artificial intelligence and religion.
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Deborah Johnson
Deborah Johnson is a professor emeritus of applied ethics in science, technology and society at the University of Virginia. Best known for her work on computer ethics and engineering ethics, Johnson’s research examines the ethical, social, and policy implications of technology, especially information technology. She was part of a panel on AI and religion at the 2017 Religion News Association’s conference.
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Subbarao Kambhampati
Subbarao Kambhampati is a professor of computer science and engineering at Arizona State University in Tempe and president of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. He frequently speaks and gives interviews about the implications of AI on human society. One of his lectures on the subject is available on YouTube.
The canonization of martyred Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, long-stalled because of his ties to liberation theology, could take place next year and be a milestone in Pope Francis’ reorienting of the Catholic Church’s priorities.
Background:
- Read “Death Comes for the Archbishop: The Martyrdom of Oscar Romero” by Kevin Clarke for America magazine, March 11, 2015.
- Read “Analysis: John Paul II, Oscar Romero and the politics of making saints” by David Gibson for Religion News Service, April 24, 2013.
Relevant ReligionLink tips:
Top sources:
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Carlos X. Colorado
Carlos X. Colorado is an attorney who also runs the Super Martyrio blog, promoting the canonization of Oscar Romero. He is an occasional commentator for Crux.
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Richard Kieckhefer
Richard Kieckhefer is chairman of the religion department at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and can discuss the history of miracles, magic and sainthood.
Ireland, with some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe, will hold a referendum on abortion. It’s scheduled to take place weeks before the first papal visit to the country since 1978.
Background:
- Read “How Ireland Moved to the Left: ‘The Demise of the Church’” by Liam Stack for The New York Times, Dec. 2, 2017.
- Read “Ireland to hold abortion referendum in 2018” by Rachael Revesz for The Independent, Sept. 26, 2017.
- Read “Pope Francis calls abortion ‘horrendous crime’ and ‘very grave sin’” by Ines San Martin for Crux, Nov. 20, 2016.
Relevant ReligionLink tips:
- Forty years of Roe v. Wade: Covering the ongoing debate over abortion
- Reporting on Religion: Roman Catholics
Top sources:
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John Littleton
John Littleton is a Catholic priest and director of the Priory Institute in Dublin. He is co-editor of Contemporary Catholicism in Ireland: A Critical Appraisal and Irish and Catholic?: Towards an Understanding of Identity and a frequent commenter on Irish-Catholic life and issues.
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Elizabeth Oldmixon
Elizabeth Oldmixon is a professor of sociology at the University of North Texas in Denton and editor-in-chief of the journal Politics and Religion. She co-authored a chapter on priest burnout and political engagement in The Catholic Church in Ireland Today.
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John Waldmeir
John Waldmeir is a professor of religious studies at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, where there is an Irish studies program within the Catholic studies program. He is the author of a forthcoming book on the Catholic church in Ireland.
What will come of Crown Prince Salman’s efforts to bring Saudi Arabia’s religious establishment to heel and push for a more open brand of Islam in which the religious establishment's role is limited?
Background:
- Read “Saudi Arabia’s Arab Spring, at Last” by Thomas Friedman for The New York Times, Nov. 23, 2017.
- Read “‘This is a revolution’: Saudis absorb crown prince’s rush to reform” by Martin Chulov for The Guardian, Nov. 7, 2017.
- Read “Saudi Arabia’s crown prince promises to lead his country ‘back to moderate Islam’” by Raf Sanchez for The Telegraph, Oct. 24, 2017.
Relevant ReligionLink tips:
Top sources:
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Natana Delong-Bas
Natana Delong-Bas is an associate professor of theology at Boston College. She teaches courses on Islam, environmentalism and Muslim women.
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Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz is executive director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism, which says it promotes moderate Muslim views. Schwartz has taken credit for coining or popularizing the term.
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Ani Zonneveld
Ani Zonneveld is the founder and president of Muslims for Progressive Values, which combats radical Islam, and a board member for the Alliance of Inclusive Muslims, which works to counter gender, racial and sexual bias in the Muslim community worldwide. She is based in Los Angeles.
What will be the fate of Jared Kushner’s efforts to devise a peace plan in the Middle East after Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital?
Background:
- Read “Trump decision on Jerusalem could have deep repercussions” by The Associated Press, Dec. 6, 2017.
- Read “Trump’s big Israel move could shake the Middle East — and some consider it a declaration of war” by Michal Kranz for Business Insider, Dec. 6, 2017.
Relevant ReligionLink tips:
- Supporting Israel: Jews and U.S. evangelicals
- Pointers for reporters on disputed issues in the Middle East
Top sources:
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Mohammed Abu-Nimer
Mohammed Abu-Nimer is a professor at the American University’s School of International Service in Washington, D.C., where he directs the Peacebuilding and Development Institute. He has researched, intervened and conducted conflict resolution workshops around the world, including in the Palestinian territories, Israel, Egypt, Northern Ireland, the Philippines (Mindanao) and Sri Lanka. Abu-Nimer is also a senior adviser to KAICIID, the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue.
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Yehezkel Landau
Yehezkel Landau is an associate professor of interfaith relations at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Conn., where he coordinated Building Abrahamic Partnerships, an interfaith training program for Jews, Christians and Muslims. Today, he is the founder of Landau Interfaith, where he consults with communities, organizations and groups on Jewish, Christian and Muslim relations.
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Zakaria Odeh
Zakaria Odeh is the director of the Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem, an NGO dedicated to Palestinian human rights. He has warned that the relocation of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem will endanger future peace negotiations.
Will the relationship between Israeli and American Jews be further strained after the Israeli government endorsed the ultra-Orthodox stance forbidding men and women to pray together at the Western Wall?
Background:
- Read “Israel’s president tries to soothe rift between Israel and American Jewry” by Ann M. Simmons for the Los Angeles Times, Nov. 13, 2017.
- Read “No Mixed-Gender Prayer Space at the Western Wall” by Yasmeen Serhan for The Atlantic, June 26, 2017.
- Read “Israeli Supreme Court ruling favors women’s prayer at Western Wall” by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Jan. 11, 2017.
Relevant ReligionLink tips:
- Judaism: U.S. experts and organizations
- Spiritual motherhood: Finding common ground in the sacred feminine
Top sources:
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Lesley Sachs
Lesley Sachs is the director of Women of the Wall, an international consortium of Jewish women who want women to be able to pray at Jerusalem’s Western Wall. She lives in Jaffa, Israel.
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Orthodox Union
The Orthodox Union is the educational and outreach arm of Orthodox Judaism. It is generally considered a Modern Orthodox organization. Among its main concerns is helping Jews keep kosher and strengthening their traditional rituals, practices and holiday observances. It posts a page that allows users to search for Orthodox synagogues by state. Rabbi Steven Weil is senior managing director.
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Rabbinical Assembly
The Rabbinical Assembly is an international association of Conservative rabbis. Rabbi Julie Schonfeld is chief executive officer.
How will the Supreme Court rule in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case about the limits of free speech and religious freedom and on another case about California’s requirement that pregnancy centers post notices about publicly funded abortions?
Background:
- Read “U.S. Supreme Court justices signal Masterpiece Cakeshop will be a difficult decision” by Kelsey Dallas for the Deseret News, Dec. 5, 2017.
- Read “These are the conservative legal groups behind the Masterpiece Cakeshop case” by Henry Farrell for The Washington Post, Dec. 5, 2017.
- Read “The ‘Splainer: A wedding cake for the Supreme Court” by Kimberly Winston for Religion News Service, Oct. 3, 2017.
Resources:
- Scotusblog maintains a database on all documents, decisions, arguments and more involving Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.
- The Washington Post published a list of conservative organizations involved in Masterpiece Cakeshop Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.
Relevant ReligionLink tips:
Top sources:
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Daniel Bennett
Daniel Bennett is an assistant professor of political science at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark., and the author of Defending the Faith: The Politics of the Christian Conservative Legal Movement.
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Margot Cleveland
Margot Cleveland is a lawyer and an adjunct professor for the college of business at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Ind. She wrote a column for The Federalist, where she is a senior contributor, about why she believes the Supreme Court will rule in favor of Masterpiece Cakeshop owner Jack Phillips — which she describes as a defeat for religious liberty.
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Caroline Mala Corbin
Caroline Mala Corbin is a law professor at the University of Miami who specializes in First Amendment issues, including free speech and religious freedom. She regularly joins amicus briefs on religious issues that are filed with the Supreme Court.
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David French
David French is an attorney, a decorated veteran and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute. He has served as senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice and the Alliance Defending Freedom. He is a regular contributor to National Review, where he wrote several columns supporting a Supreme Court decision for Masterpiece Cakeshop. He is based in Columbia, Tenn. Contact via the media coordinator at the National Review Institute.