Candace Lukasik is Assistant Professor of Religion and Faculty Affiliate in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures at Mississippi State University. Her research explores religion and the transnational politics of violence, migration, race, and indigeneity in the Middle East, specifically Egypt and Iraq, and its US diasporas.

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 […]

Miranda Cruz is a professor of theology at Indiana Wesleyan University, with a focus on the practical application of Christian doctrine in life and ministry. She is also the author of Faithful Politics: Ten Approaches to Christian Citizenship and Why It Matters.

Heidi Beirich is an expert on the American and European far right, including white supremacist, anti-immigrant, antigovernment and other extremist movements. In 2020, with Wendy Via, Beirich co-founded the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism to monitor and counter increasingly transnational hate movements.

In this edition of ReligionLink, we provide background, tips, stories, sources and other resources for reporters to better cover the confluence of religion and political violence in the months and years ahead.

Nawara Aboud is a graduate researcher at University College, Oxford. Her expertise revolves around the politics of ethnicity, violent conflict, peace-building and post-conflict transformation. In particular, her research focuses on the political trajectories that countries take in the aftermath of civil wars and the economic, social and political dynamics that drive them.

Cynthia Miller-Idriss is the founding director of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab at American University. Miller-Idriss regularly testifies before the U.S. Congress or briefs policy, security, education and intelligence agencies in the U.S., the United Nations and other countries on trends in domestic violent extremism and strategies for prevention and disengagement. To […]

Claire Giangravè is a Rome-based reporter for RNS, covering the Catholic Church and the Vatican. Before joining RNS in 2019, Giangravè was at Crux Catholic Media Inc., where she served as a faith and culture correspondent. She also previously worked at CNBC/Class Editori, ForexInfo.it, PBS and MSNBC News. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Roma […]

This edition of ReligionLink is dedicated to stories that could possibly top the lists in 2025, providing background, resources and expert sources for you to turn to in the year ahead.