Lead story
Editor's note:
Where the term “Christian nationalist” may once have summoned images of fiery extremists or fringe racists, today the term is bandied about as a near synonym for white evangelicals with a MAGA bent. A culture-war acid test in a post-January 6 America, Christian nationalism is anathema on one side of the political divide and increasingly embraced by disparate groups of strange bedfellows on the other.
For the record, sociologists Andrew Whitehead and Samuel L. Perry describe Christian nationalism as “a cultural framework that blurs distinctions between Christian identity and American identity, viewing the two as closely related and seeking to enhance and preserve their union.” But not everyone who meets the definition claims the moniker and some who do are only barely recognizable as traditional Christians.
RNS national reporter Bob Smietana, with contributions from RNS politics reporter Jack Jenkins, offers a look at six loose networks of faith leaders and followers who are coming to define the contours of Christian nationalism in America today.
Religion News
Cardinal George Pell, whose sex-abuse convictions were overturned, dies at 81
Cardinal George Pell, a onetime financial adviser to Pope Francis who spent 404 days in solitary confinement in his native Australia on child sex abuse charges before his convictions were overturned, died Tuesday in Rome. He was 81. By Rod McGuirk, Nicole Winfield and Nick Perry/The Associated Press
Benedict XVI’s quiet exit at odds with his lasting imprint on the pontificate
Many tourists and Roman citizens didn’t know the retired pope had died, despite the massive impact that his life had on the Catholic Church and the popes. By Claire Giangravé/Religion News Service
Islam’s annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia will return to pre-pandemic levels this year after restrictions saw the annual religious commemoration curtailed over concerns about the coronavirus. By Jon Gambrell/The Associated Press
In polar night, Norway-Russia children's event lights up Orthodox Christmas
The children’s choir from the Lutheran church in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard traveled three hours each way by boat to mark Orthodox Christmas with the 40 children in Barentsburg, a village owned by Russia’s Arctic mining company in the remote Norwegian territory. By Giovanna Dell'Orto/The Associated Press
Stability is not in the cards for 2023: Divinations reveal a year of transitions
Using tarot, astrology, runes and countless other divinatory methods, practitioners offer a reading on the pulse of the year to come. By Heather Greene/Religion News Service
Commentary and Analysis
Two religiously observant groups of Jews in Israel, the ultra-Orthodox and Religious Zionists, are increasingly acting as political allies. The consequences could be profound. By Michael Brenner for The Conversation
An art historian describes the two historical representations of Prophet Muhammad that led to a controversy at Hamline University. By Christiane Gruber for The Conversation
Does the rationale for a lie hold up when it comes to politicians, in particular, George Santos, the congressman-elect from New York who is facing scrutiny for fabricating much of his resume? By Beth Kissileff/Religion News Service
Pentecostals agree on the importance of the Holy Spirit – but not necessarily on what it empowers them to do. By Lloyd Daniel Barba for The Conversation
People queue to see the late Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI lying in state inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, where thousands went to pay their homage, Jan. 3, 2023. Pope Benedict was a German theologian who will be remembered as the first pope in 600 years to resign. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
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- This Week in Religion is a publication of the Global Religion Journalism Initiative, a collaboration among the Religion News Service, The Associated Press and The Conversation U.S.
- The three news organizations work to improve general understanding and analyze the significance of developments in the world of faith.
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