Tobin Grant: Corner of Church and State
Why political scientists experiment with religion
By Tobin Grant — January 17, 2014
Experiments are not just for the biology lab anymore. They're increasingly the tool of choice for social scientists—including those who study religion and politics.
What happened when a pastor fired a gay choir director? How Raw Story ignored details
By Tobin Grant — January 15, 2014
Can you figure out what's wrong with this picture?
Jewish groups mourn death of Ariel Sharon despite differences over complex legacy
By Tobin Grant — January 13, 2014
Reactions to the news of Sharon's death by Jewish groups in the United States show widespread respect for the former war hero and statesman.
Why authoritarian regimes support religion
By Tobin Grant — January 6, 2014
Depending on how you measure it, the largest Catholic church building in the world isn’t St. Peters in Rome. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest church is Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire (video below). The impressive structure was built and paid for in the 1980s by the country’s authoritarian president […]
Is the winter weather becoming ‘cold as hell’?
By Tobin Grant — January 5, 2014
The record cold weather fits medieval accounts of Hell as a frozen wasteland.
Three things big data tells us about how people use the Bible
By Tobin Grant — January 2, 2014
Popular Bible apps give us a window into how people use technology to read and share the Bible
Why religious groups care about the new Boy Scouts policy on gay youth
By Tobin Grant — December 30, 2013
The new Boy Scouts of America policy begins January 1. Youth will no longer be kept out of scouting because of sexual orientation. This is a big deal for religious organizations -- 70 percent of troops are hosted by churches, synagogues, or other religious groups.
Peace! Why you can expect a ceasefire on the ‘War on Christmas’ until Thanksgiving 2014
By Tobin Grant — December 26, 2013
(RNS) 12:01 a.m. The annual winter siege known as the “War on Christmas” is over, for now. For the next 11 months, the holiday will be able to exist in peace. The new ceasefire is unlikely to be permanent, however. The war is expected to return by December 1, 2014, when slow news days and the […]
Why evangelicalism needs controversies like Duck Dynasty
By Tobin Grant — December 20, 2013
Sociologists are not surprised by evangelical reactions to the Duck Dynasty controversy. It's how evangelicals engage in modern American culture while remaining distinct from it.
Netflix to release ‘MITT’ documentary on Romney’s failed bid for the White House
By Tobin Grant — December 19, 2013
Spoiler alert: Mitt Romney lost the 2012 presidential election. Thanks to Netflix, we will now be able to watch the moment Romney realizes that he needs to write his concession speech. Watch the trailer.
Party over principles: how conservatives pushed for military religious freedom and lost
By Tobin Grant — December 14, 2013
Conservatives wanted to keep the military from acting against religious actions. Obama said it went to far. But what happened when Senate Republicans backed the president's position and gave the military even more power? (Spoiler alert: Obama is still the bad guy)
One-in-five men say “man beating his wife” is ok — view is lower among religiously active
By Tobin Grant — December 9, 2013
A surprisingly high number of men think that it is sometimes justifiable for a husband to beat his wife. This is rarer among those men who attend religious services each week.
Politics could use Luther’s advice: Sometimes we need to say, “eat s**t!”
By Tobin Grant — December 6, 2013
The Bashir incident is just another case of our public discourse going down the toilet. But is this always a bad thing?
The number one target for religious lobbyists isn’t what you think
By Tobin Grant — December 5, 2013
Why the Defense authorization bill continues to be the top target of religious interest groups from the left and the right.
Page 18 of 18
