Spiritual Politics
No, the framers were not more about protecting religion from the state than vice versa
By Mark Silk — May 5, 2023
(RNS) — Connecticut is a case in point.
Yes, Virginia, the Constitution does separate church and state
By Mark Silk — April 28, 2023
(RNS) — No matter what they're saying in Texas.
Religious zealots go postal (again)
By Mark Silk — April 20, 2023
(RNS) — The current Supreme Court religion case harks back to a 19th-century fight over Sunday mail.
American politics has become positively medieval
By Mark Silk — April 10, 2023
(RNS) — It's crusaders v. jihadis all over again.
Why Florida needs to keep the Bible out of public schools
By Mark Silk — March 31, 2023
(RNS) — No question, it violates the state's new norms.
ChatGPT embraces the Golden Rule
By Mark Silk — March 28, 2023
(RNS) — A conversation about religious applications of AI with the latest version of the AI celebrity.
In accusing Cardinal McElroy of heresy, Bishop Paprocki was aiming higher
By Mark Silk — March 9, 2023
(RNS) — The American episcopate’s anti-Francis faction takes it to a new level.
Roald Dahl doesn’t deserve to be bowdlerized
By Mark Silk — February 28, 2023
(RNS) — The nastiness is a feature of his stories, not a bug.
Two cheers for David French
By Mark Silk — February 24, 2023
(RNS) — The new New York Times columnist upholds principles his conservative tribe has abandoned.
Christian nationalism needs to be distinguished from civil religion
By Mark Silk — February 13, 2023
(RNS) — The latest PRRI survey shows it's a Black-white thing.
Is cultured meat the kosher way to go?
By Mark Silk — February 6, 2023
And if we have cultured beef, is the real thing eco-kosher?
The Catholic Church’s upcoming discussion of homosexuality
By Mark Silk — January 30, 2023
(RNS) — The relaxation of doctrine for pastoral purposes is itself a Christian doctrine. Is Pope Francis headed that way?
How come evangelical leaders are cool toward Trump?
By Mark Silk — January 25, 2023
(RNS) — They’re waiting on the people in the pews.
In latest twist for faith-based initiative, Biden tacks back toward religious freedoms
By Mark Silk — January 18, 2023
(RNS) — The administration restores safeguards for federally funded faith-based service providers.
Who says you can’t show students a portrait of Muhammad?
By Mark Silk — January 11, 2023
(RNS) — A multiple-choice quiz to help college administrators navigate religious freedom on campus.
Mark Silk
Spiritual Politics
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
