Mark Silk
Mark Silk is Professor of Religion in Public Life at Trinity College and director of the college's Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life. He is a Contributing Editor of the Religion News Service
All Stories by Mark Silk
Dreams of my Abba
By Mark Silk — April 9, 2008
Barack Obama’s first book has just been translated into Hebrew and appears in a full-page ad in Haaretz today. Thus far, among the other presidential contenders, no book by John McCain (e.g. Faith of My Abbas) has come out in Hebrew and, of the Hillary Clinton oeuvre, only Living History. It Takes a Shtetl, anyone? […]
Brody sez
By Mark Silk — April 8, 2008
David Brody claims to have the scoop on John McCain’s outreach to evangelicals. The idea, it seems, is to put together a “committee of 50”–old and new style evangelicals but not the headliners who have no use for the Arizona senator. Brody’s source talked about this in the future tense–what the campaign will be doing […]
The Times Takes Note
By Mark Silk — April 8, 2008
In today’s New York Times, Neela Banerjee rounds up the Hagee story in a useful way. What’s most interesting is that at this point Hagee is simply not commenting on his endorsement of John McCain, and the McCain campaign shows no interest in invigorating the connection. In his earlier strenuous effort to line Hagee up, […]
Hagee v. Yoffie
By Mark Silk — April 7, 2008
In Israel today, Pastor John Hagee responded to Rabbi Eric Yoffie’s critique, accusing the head of Reform Judaism of a “troubling lack of respect of the truth.” Hagee denied being anti-Catholic and insisted he could back a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict (if Israel wants it). He had just returned from a Solidarity rally […]
No Respect
By Mark Silk — April 7, 2008
In case you missed it, last week the Prescott (AZ) Daily Courier ran a full-page ad in the form of a letter from 26 social conservatives urging John McCain not to pick Mitt Romney as his vice presidential candidate. The signatories include old foes of Romney from Massachusetts and Mike Huckabee supporters, but the big […]
Where’s the Mainline?
By Mark Silk — April 6, 2008
A week from today, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but not, apparently, John McCain, will be participating in something called the Compassion Forum at Messiah College, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This forum has been whomped up as an opportunity, nine days before the Pennsylvania primary, for the presidential candidates to show that they care about the […]
Hagee Redux
By Mark Silk — April 5, 2008
Among the side issues stirred up by fracas over Pastor John Hagee’s endorsement of John McCain was whether the Jewish community should or would insert itself into the the discussion. On the one hand, Hagee’s alleged anti-Catholicism (OK, this blog has argued that there’s it’s bona fide) might induce Jews to their traditional denunciation of […]
Media Ed
By Mark Silk — April 4, 2008
Whatever reservations one might have about the impact of viral YouTube soundbites on American political discourse, the current media environment is a fabulous educational machine when things really get cranked up. For the past month, the national course has been Religion 246: The Black Church in America Today. It’s a mid-level course, requiring a certain […]
McCain No’s Religion
By Mark Silk — April 3, 2008
Jonathan Martin sees a shying away in today’s Politico.
Hold That Storyline
By Mark Silk — April 3, 2008
Thanks to people like E.J. Dionne, Amy Sullivan, and (I’m afraid) present company, the new storyline on religion and politics is that, yes, Virginia, the Democrats get it. Recognizing that their party has suffered on the short end of the religion gap, seeing that Democratic candidates do well if they take their faith out from […]
Catholic Outreach, Democratic Division
By Mark Silk — April 2, 2008
Hat tip (a little belatedly) to Beliefnet’s Dan Gilgoff for his reporting on the Clinton and Obama campaigns’ outreach efforts to Catholics, including new staff hires.
Another Clinton Pastor
By Mark Silk — April 2, 2008
Today’s New York Sun features Russell Berman’s interview with Hillary Clinton’s sometime pastor Edward Matthews, who retired 10 years ago from the Methodist church that she attended in Little Rock when she was the gubernatorial spouse there. In a genial way, Matthews more or less speaks up in defense of Jeremiah Wright, as well as […]
Abortion Politics
By Mark Silk — April 2, 2008
Lest you think abortion has disappeared as an issue this campaign season, Hillary Clinton’s visit to Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., has drawn a protest from the local Catholic bishop, Donald W. Trautman, who criticized the college for not “reflecting the pro-life stance of the Catholic Church.” In line with the widespread position of the […]
