Religion and Politics Hits your Online Newstand

Paul Harvey

A short while ago we blogged about the new online journal Religion and Politics, and its first issue went live on May 1. As promised, the inaugural postings feature a diverse array of essays, reflections, and commentary. R. Marie Griffith, director of the Danforth Center at Washington University in St. Louis, welcomes readers to the journal; Molly Worthen writes about the fascination of American evangelicals with C. S. Lewis and other Brits; and the ubiquitous Matt Bowman visits with some Mormon libertarians. Also, 3 journalists, including Amy Sullivan, take up the question about what is and isn't fair game in assessing political candidates' religious beliefs in an election year.

Finally, the journal will be running an ongoing series, the States of the Union Project, featuring writers reflecting on the confluence of religion and politics in individual states. Matt Bowman's piece linked above is one, and in the inaugural issue as well public radio religion host Krista Tippett, who grew up in the town where I went to college, looks back on the little-known radical political history of what is now the reddest state in the Union, Oklahoma (the only state that in 2008 defeated Barack Obama in every single one of its 77 counties -- the same counties that in 9th grade I got to memorize in alphabetical order while we were supposed to read an execrable textbook that, among other things, failed to mention the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921, but did manage to cover the Sooners' football history with considerable detail).

Sometime later, the journal will have a really inventive piece by religion scholar Sean McCloud on Indiana, and my reflections on religion and politics in the Front Rage of Colorado -- focusing on the yin of Colorado Springs and the yang of Boulder -- will also be up.

Congratulations to friend-of-the-blog Max Mueller and to Tiffany Stanley for putting together such an excellent venue; we wish it great success.