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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Missed Religion & the Paranormal? Want to dive back into the ideas on Big Foot? The recording, podcasts, and teaching resources are all available now! Find them all: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/rel...

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

In partnership w scholars from the Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life; the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and the Boniuk Institute’s Religion and Public Life Center, leaders at the Center have been awarded a grant to launch a Building the Future of Religion and Public Life project

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

During September and October there is a heightened interest around research and learning focusing on Hispanic heritage, history, issues, and more. Explore ideas on health, religion and culture with these free to access articles from RAAC! Find the articles here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"The paranormal is inherently a cultural definition." - Chris Bader on #ReligionAnd

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"The democratization of information has definitely helped people understand that there are many ways of thinking and believing." - Coye Lloyd on #ReligionAnd

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"What does the shifting in religion mean for paranormal belief and activity in the US?" - Question from student "It is going up... there is something about removing yourself from institutional religion that leads people to paranormal." - Chris Bader #ReligionAnd

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"People keep going on bigfoot hunts or ghost hunts because they what to convince themselves and others they aren't crazy" - Chris Bader on #ReligionAnd

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"How we define and categorize the paranormal or supernatural, is a great way to look at systems of power and how they function." - Coye Lloyd on #ReligionAnd

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"The person who believes in bigfoot and ghosts has to be a person who believes there are powers beyond what we can see and prove." - Chris Bader on #ReligionAnd

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"We have two major groups of the paranormal. Some forms of the paranormal are about enlightenment, internalized improvements. Discovery paranormal is based on evidence." - Chris Bader on #ReligionAnd

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"My goal as a professor is not to change the mind of my students, but to present them with skeptical thinking and how it functions." - Jason Aukerman on #ReligionAnd

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"If you are willing to give active belief to things that have no evidence (around bigfoot), what other areas are we willing to give our beliefs to with no evidence" - Jason Aukerman on #ReligionAnd

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"The paranormal shows that we have no answers, we are just feeling our way through the dark." - Coye Lloyd #ReligionAnd

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"I think of the paranormal more in terms of cultural boundaries. What I call paranormal is damned by religion and denied by science." - Chris Bader #ReligionAnd

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Declining attendance hasn’t meant a decline in the search for meaning, belonging, and moral orientation; that search has simply moved elsewhere. Today we start to dig into elsewhere with Religion & the Paranormal. - Joseph Tucker Edmonds

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Join us in just a few minutes in person or on Zoom for Religion & the Paranormal! #ReligionAnd Follow along on here for live updates throughout the session! raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/rel...

raac.indianapolis.iu.edu

Religion & the Paranormal - Religion and American Culture

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Join us today at 3pm for Religion & the Paranormal! The first episode of Religion &‘s seventh season will highlight the nature and scope of paranormal beliefs, experiences, and subcultures around the globe, showcasing one example of where meaning is now being ascribed in the modern moment.

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Join us this Thursday, in person or on zoom for an interesting conversation on Religion & the Paranormal. Panelists will explore many different creatures, cultures, and ideas around the paranormal! You won't want to miss this conversation. Register here: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/rel...

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

The Sanctuary Movement: Religion, Activism, and Social Contestation, a syllabus by recent Young Scholar @elprofebarba.bsky.social, offers students an in-depth study of the Sanctuary Movement since the 1980s. You can view or download it for free now in the Center's Teaching Resource Library.

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The Crossroads Project @xroadproj.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Registration is open (in person and zoom webinar) for Convergences, an @xroadproj.bsky.social conference convening a selection of Crossroads Project Fellows to discuss their contributions to SPIRIT HOUSE. October 9-10, 2026 at Princeton University convergences.crossroads.princeton.edu

Convergences: Exploring Black Religious Histories Communities, and Cultures
October 9-10, 2026
at Princeton University

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American Academy of Religion @aarweb.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Register now for "Ethnographic Best Practices," a webinAAR hosted by #AAR's Anthropology of Religion Unit that will convene four experienced ethnographers to discuss how ethnographic methods can be used productively to study religion. Join us at 1:30 PM ET on September 25: aarweb.org/event/ethnog...

Promotional graphic for an AAR Fall Scholarship Series webinar titled "Ethnographic Best Practices," hosted by AAR's Anthropology of Religion Unit on September 25 at 1:30 PM ET. Featured speakers include Eric Hoenes del Pinal, Brendan Jamal Thornton, Kristy Nabhan-Warren, and Lauren Leve.

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Our first episode of Religion &'s 7th season is live on zoom and in person in one week! You won't want to miss this interesting conversation on paranormal beliefs, experiences, and subcultures around the globe. Register and learn more: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/rel...

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

From awards to interviews, articles, and new podcasts, our YSAR alumni and mentors keep busy! Check out some recent work from YSAR! Learn more about YSAR: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/you...

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The Association of Religion Data Archives (The ARDA) @religiondata.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

On this day in 1963, a Black Baptist church in Birmingham became a target of racist violence. That day, Klu Klux Klan members planted a bomb, which detonated inside the 16th Street Baptist Church. The explosion killed four girls—Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Denise McNair.

News exhibit regarding the Birmingham church bombings — Flickr photo by dbking (CC BY 2.0)

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Get ahead of the conversation around paranormal beliefs with some informative teaching and learning resources. You can find all these and more: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/resources/ Tune in or join us live Sept 24 at 3pm for an exciting conversation!

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Leah Payne @drleahpayne.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Dr. Khyati Y. Joshi's new podcast Mixed: Stories and Strategies for Multiracial and Interfaith Families is out today (1st 2 eps!) and it's fascinating, poignant, funny, and insightful. Check it out! redcircle.com/shows/b09749...

redcircle.com

Mixed: Stories and Strategies for Multiracial and Interfaith Families

Listen to Mixed: Stories and Strategies for Multiracial and Interfaith Families on RedCircle

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

During September and October there is a heightened interest around research and learning focusing on Hispanic heritage, history, issues, and more! Over the next couple weeks we will be highlighting a few of our different teaching and learning resources around these subjects.

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Meet our host & panelists for our next episode of Religion &! This episode, hosted by Dr. Andrew Whitehead will feature research and expertise from Dr. Jason Aukerman, Dr. Chris Bader and PhD student Coye Lloyd. They will dive into paranormal beliefs found across national borders & historical period

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The Association of Religion Data Archives (The ARDA) @religiondata.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

On this day in 1907, Pope Pius X issued the encyclical "Pascendi Dominici Gregis," which classified Modernism as "the synthesis of all heresies." It was followed by the introduction of an anti-Modernist oath in 1910, which was required to be sworn by all priests of the Catholic Church.

A copy of the cover of Pascendi Gregis by Pope Pius X.

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Do you have a syllabus, assignment prompt, module, or other teaching resource on American religion that you'd like to share with your colleagues? Submit your own resources below to be featured in our Teaching Resource Library and have your teaching tools highlighted across our social channels.

raac.indianapolis.iu.edu

Submit a Teaching Resource - Religion and American Culture

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Bigfoot. Yeti. Mapinguari. Sasquatch. Yeren. Ghosts. UFOs. Paranormal beliefs are found across national borders and historical periods, both separate from and in conversation with historical religious teachings. Join us for Religion & the Paranormal on Sept. 24 to explore these ideas!

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Recent happenings and updates from the YSAR community! From new books to articles and more! If you are a current or past YSAR member and have updates to share, send them our way. Learn more about YSAR: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/you...

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Bigfoot. Yeren. Ghosts. UFOs. Paranormal beliefs are found across national borders and historical periods, both separate from and in conversation with historical religious teachings. The first episode will take place live in-person & streamed on Zoom! Join us Sept 24th for an exciting conversation!

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Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

NEW ARTICLE Just Published in Liturgy Progressive congregations routinely enact values of inclusion & justice thru confession, prayer, preaching, yet liturgical rhythms can inhibit deeper transformation, absorbing even radical antiracism w/o unsettling members’ or their churches' everyday actions.

tandfonline.com

The Lull of Liturgy: How Ritual Defers the Demands of Racial Justice

White progressive congregations routinely enact values of inclusion and justice in worship through confession, prayer, and preaching. Yet familiar liturgical rhythms can inhibit deeper transformati...

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

In thinking about peer review and the role of journals, we are pleased to offer a Forum from 2018. Scholars, grapple with the role of academic journals, how we shape them, and how they shape us. The future of good academic journals relies on “active cooperation” among authors, reviewers, & editors.

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Peer review is the quiet work that makes the scholarly enterprise possible. From assessing portfolios for promotion to judging grant proposals and reviewing for journals, academia depends on peer review. Learn more about our process, the Journal, and more: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/peer-review/

raac.indianapolis.iu.edu

RAAC: Importance of Peer Review - Religion and American Culture

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Religion & returns for a seventh season! Last season, our theme of World on Fire examined a world convulsed by crisis. This season turns from the fire to the search that follows it... Learn more: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/rel...

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Learn more about our Teaching Resource Library through the answers to some frequently asked questions! Have a resource to share with others? Submit your tools on our website to further the conversations on religion and American culture! raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/resources/

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Religion & returns this fall with a new slate of monthly conversations on the state of religion in modern contexts. Learn more about Religion& and explore past episodes: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/religion-and.

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

With the fall semester approaching, now is a great time to check out some new syllabi from our recent YSAR graduates! Whether you are revamping a course our teaching something completely new, our resource library is a great tool for finding new ideas and resources.

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

With the shrinking and closure of many departments, faculty all over are facing new challenges including teaching new courses, courses they have less familiarity with and more. Our Resource Library is a great place to find hundreds of adaptable syllabi, ideas, reading lists and more!

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

From new books to articles and interviews, our YSAR community keeps busy! Check out some recent work from YSAR. If you are a current or past YSAR member and have updates to share, send them our way. Learn more about YSAR: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/you...

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

As we head towards the start of the semester, it is a great time to think about ways we can adapt to the changing academic landscape, find new innovations, and how we can best help our students. Hear from Amy DeRogatis on their adaptations from the Biennial Conference this past June.

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The Association of Religion Data Archives (The ARDA) @religiondata.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

New datasets are added to the ARDA each month and are always free to access. This month, we've added recent research on American elections, why adults choose not to have children, and global religious restrictions. Discover all the archive has to offer at www.thearda.com/data-archive....

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Recent happenings and updates from the YSAR community! From new books to awards and more! If you are a current or past YSAR member and have updates to share, send them our way. Learn more about YSAR: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/you...

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Religion & Season 6 inspired us to think about the world on fire, what brought us here, whats happening, where we are going, and more. From Christian nationalism to philanthropy and revolution. As we prepare for Season 7 take another look at this past season! raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/rel...

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Andrew Whitehead @andrew-whitehead.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

The last time the US produced income & wealth inequality at these levels was during the Gilded Age/Roaring 20s. Historians & social scientists identify two commonalities between a century ago & now: the overlapping influences of Christian nationalism & capitalism. kettering.org/economic-ine...

kettering.org

Economic Inequality: How Christian Nationalism Weakens Democracy

KF Research Fellow Andrew L. Whitehead traces the connection between Christian nationalism and growing economic inequality in the US. The implications are more than economic—they can lead to democrati...

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

If the purpose of higher education is merely the transmission of information, then technology may indeed replace much of what we do. But if the purpose of higher education is the cultivation of judgment, wisdom, character, and moral imagination, then our work remains indispensable -Jonathan L Walton

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

From new books to articles and interviews, our YSAR Alumni keep busy! Check out some recent work from YSAR Alumni!

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Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture @csraac.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Like many of our programs, the Biennial Conference made us think about American culture and history in different, nuanced ways that challenge, complicate, and extend our current understandings of religion and American culture.

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