Elizabeth McAlister is a professor at Wesleyan University with expertise in Afro-Caribbean religions including Haitian Vodou, Pentecostalism, race theory, transnational migration and evangelical spiritual warfare.

Michael Muhammad Knight is a scholar, author and gonzo journalist whose work covers Islamic studies, American Islam, hadith literature, gender studies, race and theories of the body.

Matthew J. Cressler is a scholar, comics creator and teacher whose work focuses on religion, race and justice. He is also chief of staff for the Corporation for Public Interest Technology. He is the author of Authentically Black and Truly Catholic: The Rise of Black Catholicism in the Great Migration (NYU Press, 2017).

Adelle M. Banks is the projects editor and a national reporter for RNS, covering topics including religion and race, the faith of African Americans and partnerships between government and religious groups. An award-winning journalist, Banks joined RNS in 1995. She previously was the religion reporter at the Orlando Sentinel and a reporter at The Providence […]

In this guide, we offer background, resources, expert sources and related content to help you better report on the religious life of Black Americans.

As we do every year, this edition looks ahead to the religion stories we think are likely to shape coverage in 2026, offering context, reporting angles and expert perspectives to help journalists anticipate how faith trends will continue to enter the frame.

Gopal Patel is leading faith-based environmental activist who believes in the power of engaged religion and spirituality to address the world’s biggest climate-related challenges. He was the founder of a movement called Bhumi Global, which sought to activate Hindu youth in support of Planet Earth.

In this edition of ReligionLink, we invite you to consider how applying a systems-thinking approach to religion news might offer new depth and resonance to your reporting in the year to come.

Coverage of what has been called “Christian nationalism” has become ubiquitous. So ubiquitous, in fact, that some commentators in the United States have warned Christian nationalism is a democracy demolisher. Others, however, have raised concerns that coverage of Christian nationalism is “overhyped” and the concept poorly defined. In this ReligionLink Reporting Guide, we take a […]