This week, Ruth Graham, Nationwide Reporter on Faith, Religion and Values at The New York Instances, joins Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush to mirror on the dynamic intersection of faith and politics in America, particularly in gentle of current political developments and the evolving non secular panorama. Their dialogue touches on a spread of key points, from the rise of non secular nationalism to shifting non secular affiliations and the consequences of politics on non secular apply.
Ruth speaks about a few of her fascinating current work for the New York Instances, together with Pete Hegseth and His ‘Battle Cry’ for a New Christian Campaign; In a First Amongst Christians, Younger Males Are Extra Spiritual Than Younger Ladies; and America’s New Catholic Monks: Younger, Assured and Conservative. She expands on the complexities of non secular reporting, the challenges of capturing the various and evolving nature of religion within the U.S., and the non-public stakes of writing these tales with empathy and understanding.
“I believe crucial story, and possibly it’s recency bias, [is] the large comeback of Donald Trump, and the belief that you realize, boy, yeah, that consolidation of Christian energy of males. I believe it’s the comeback of Trump and what meaning for Christian energy within the US. And likewise for the Church itself. I don’t know if that’s the primary most essential story, however it’s the one I discover myself most eager about, the ways in which Trump is reshaping the Church… You might have an entire motion on the fitting for pastors to quote-unquote ‘converse their minds,’ and converse fact – which, on this context, means being rather more direct in preaching immediately on political and tradition battle subjects. And that’s going to have an extended impression. You understand, an administration is just 4 years, however that’s reshaping the American Church for the subsequent technology.”
– Ruth Graham, nationwide reporter primarily based in Dallas, overlaying faith, religion and values for The New York Instances. She is the recipient of awards from the Faith Information Affiliation and the American Academy of Faith. In 2024, her work featured a spread of subjects, together with protection of the interplay between faith and politics. Highlighted work in 2024 contains Pete Hegseth and His Battle Cry For A New Christian Campaign; First Amongst Christians, Younger Males Are Extra Spiritual Than Younger Ladies; Piety and Profanity: The Raunchy Christians Are Right here.
