Gerardo Martí
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gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí
@gerardomarti.bsky.social
17K followers 4.5K following 150 posts

William R Kenan Jr Professor of Sociology @ Davidson College | Race, Religion, Power, Social Change | Past Roles: Journal Editor Sociology of Religion, President SSSR & ASR, Chair ASA Religion, AAR Religion & Social Science Unit | cv https://bit.ly/40mps8D .. more

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gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · Nov 24
A BEST BOOK OF 2025

"Brimming with constructive criticism couched in a sympathetic depiction of its subject, this book is a showcase in producing outstanding and compelling biography that represents wider narratives and trends in history."

🎉🎉 Very happy to celebrate our new biography 🎉🎉
The Church Must Grow or Perish is Named a Best Book of 2025 by The Anxious Bench
Historian Joey Cochran writes, "Mulder and Marti’s The Church Must Grow or Perish, a biography of Robert Schuller, is a must-read showcase on the artform of producing stellar religious biography"
gerardomarti.substack.com

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 1d
👇👇👇
victorerikray.bsky.social Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 2d
I do want to shout-out my fellow sociologists, who have collectively created a discipline so woke that not a single one of our introductory textbooks can make it past Florida's censors.

Great work everyone.
The Board of Governors decided, unilaterally, that no published textbook in the field of sociology could be used in compliance with the law for an Intro to Sociology class. None. Victor: There's not a single existing textbook on the market that could be used that would qualify under state law? Zachary: Correct. Victor: I'm sorry, that's kind of funny. Like, the absurdity of not a single sociology textbook getting past the censors. I mean, it makes me kind of proud of our colleagues, but...

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 2d
Today
The cartoon shows Donald Trump standing in profile, holding and speaking through an enormous megaphone labeled “RACIST MEGAPHONE,” which is pointed toward the left side of the frame. On the ground in front of them lies a clapperboard-like object reading “DONALD TRUMP SHARES OBAMA APE VIDEO,” linking Trump’s speech through the “racist megaphone” to an explicitly racist depiction of Barack Obama. Two suited, balding white men stand to Trump’s right, one holding a small dog whistle, and one of them asks, “CAN YOU GO BACK TO USING THE RACIST DOG WHISTLE?”

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 2d
😆
The cartoon depicts a game show called “FACTS DON’T MATTER!” in which three contestants stand at podiums facing a host on a brightly lit stage. The host tells one contestant, Jeannie, that although her answer was correct, another contestant, Kevin, loudly shouted an incorrect answer over hers and therefore receives the points.

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Ben H. Ansell, Matthew Bunn , and 38 more

victorerikray.bsky.social
Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 2d
I do want to shout-out my fellow sociologists, who have collectively created a discipline so woke that not a single one of our introductory textbooks can make it past Florida's censors.

Great work everyone.
The Board of Governors decided, unilaterally, that no published textbook in the field of sociology could be used in compliance with the law for an Intro to Sociology class. None. Victor: There's not a single existing textbook on the market that could be used that would qualify under state law? Zachary: Correct. Victor: I'm sorry, that's kind of funny. Like, the absurdity of not a single sociology textbook getting past the censors. I mean, it makes me kind of proud of our colleagues, but...

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 3d
Nashville is furious about power outages. Republicans say 'woke' is to blame.

NBC News
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., who is running for governor, alleged on X that the utility company "was so focused on woke policies and DEl that it failed at its most basic responsibility: keeping the power on.”

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 3d
Using body camera data as well as reports and ethnography, shows how even police in sanctuary jurisdictions, those who explicitly label themselves as immigrant-friendly, nonetheless still informally multiply ICE’s forces through voluntary cooperation.

From NYU Press
On the Side of ICE
Shows how police serve to assist ICE despite sanctuary laws insisting otherwiseIn the United States, local law enforcement agencies are legally and organizat...
nyupress.org

Reposted by Ryan Enos, Gerardo Martí

johngramlich.bsky.social
John Gramlich @johngramlich.bsky.social · 6d
If you're looking for detailed crosstabs showing Trump's current approval rating among various demographic groups in the US, we've published those here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

For example, 32% of men under 30 currently approve of Trump's job performance; 67% disapprove.
Detailed tables: Trump job approval, January 2026
docs.google.com

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 10d
Do voters want the occupant of the White House to use the FBI to seize their local ballots?

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 10d
Publishing next week
The cover shows a stylized black shooting-range silhouette shaped like the Statue of Liberty, complete with pointed crown, printed against a tan background with a vertical red band along the left edge. Bullet-hole markings and concentric white scoring rings cover the head and torso of the silhouette, emphasizing the chest and face areas. At the top, partially obscured by the crown tips, is the red title “THE NEW YORKER,” with the price “PRICE $10.99” at the upper left and the date “FEB. 9, 2026” at the upper right.

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 10d
Project Blitz: acting on a Christian Nationalist agenda, organizes for policy change at state level to change peoples’ perception of the religious foundations of the US thru symbolic legislation by creating model bills for state legislators all over the country.
resolve.cambridge.org/core/service...
Politics and Religion (2026), 1-14 doi: 10.1017/S1755048325100217 ARTICLE CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Tilled fields for Christian Nationalism: Project Blitz and the evolution of the Christian Right Kimberly H. Conger University of Cincinnati Email: congerky@ucmail.uc.edu Abstract Christian Nationalism has been an increasing focus of scholars as it has seemingly come to dominate much of the Republican Party and its voters. Existing research, however, has focused almost exclusively on individual attitudes. In this article, I examine a key piece of the Christian Nationalist agenda, policy change at the state level, seeking to change individuals' perception of the religious foundations of the United States through symbolic legislation. I focus on Project Blitz, an organization that creates model bills for state legislators to introduce all over the country. Project Blitz is an explicitly Christian Nationalist effort, and its origins and supporters help demonstrate a key missing piece of the scholarly and popular conversation about Christian Nationalism: the current power and influence of Christian Nationalist attitudes and activities is based on the historical influence of the Christian Right social movement. Keywords: Christian Nationalism; Christian Right; Public Policy; Social movement

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 10d
“Watchfulness is the most dangerous form of resistance because it obstructs the Trump regime’s project of habituation. Fascism works by making the extreme normal.”

The Crime of Witness
Fintan O’Toole
The New York Review
www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...

Opening paragraph 👇
< Opening paragraph > Donald Trump's desire to name everything from the Kennedy Center to the Gulf of Mexico after himself ("I wanted to call it the Gulf of Trump," he declared in January) can seem almost comically childish. But it has become a killing joke: his regime brands those it executes terrorists and drags their names through the dirt. This renaming is an assertion of absolute power, and the United States is at a moment when Trump's claim to dominion over language has become lethal-both for individuals and for the American republic itself. If the murder of Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis cannot be called murder, an authoritarian regime has passed one of its crucial tests: it can reverse all meanings, turning the ultimate moral transgression upside down, making the victim the perpetrator, the perpetrator the victim.

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 10d
Good to know it’s happening, and good to know how exceptional this is
As Springfield's 15,000 Haitians brace for deportations, local churches train to resist ICE
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (RNS) — Over a year since Donald Trump and JD Vance spread falsehoods about the city's migrants eating pets, Haitians’ temporary protected status is set to run out Feb. 3.
religionnews.com

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 11d
🤣
sergebroom.bsky.social Serge Broom @sergebroom.bsky.social · 11d
Art by Lar DeSouza…

Reposted by Diane Ravitch, Gerardo Martí, Olivier Mannoni

msgrumpybunny.bsky.social
🪷MsGrumpyBunny🪷 @msgrumpybunny.bsky.social · 11d
I hope this story gets the attention it deserves today.

F.B.I. Agents raid Election Center in Fulton County www.yahoo.com/news/article...
FBI Raids Georgia Election Office as Trump Expands Attack on Democracy
Trump’s revenge quest over the 2020 election has reached its next stage.
www.yahoo.com

Reposted by Stephan Lewandowsky, David Rosnick, Gerardo Martí , and 1 more

sergebroom.bsky.social
Serge Broom @sergebroom.bsky.social · 11d
Art by Lar DeSouza…

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Greg Linden, Gerardo Martí

theradr.bsky.social
Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · 11d
We had eradicated this disease.

And now because of targeted disinformation, children, immunocompromised people, elderly folks, and so many others become victims in this proxy war and we have a new avoidable pandemic.
eileen4ever.bsky.social Eileen Ridge @eileen4ever.bsky.social · 11d
Holy moly this chart: Cumulative US measles cases

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Lisa W. Fazio, Jason Mittell , and 27 more

eileen4ever.bsky.social
Eileen Ridge @eileen4ever.bsky.social · 11d
Holy moly this chart: Cumulative US measles cases
Cumulative US measles cases As of January 27, there have been more cases than there were by the same week last year. Fairly horizontal lines for 2023 and 2024, a steep diagonal line for 2025, and a vertical line for ytd 2026. 2026 478 cases 2025 2253 cases 2024 283 cases 2023 63 cases Note: Data updated on January 27, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Johns Hopkins University, Center for Outbreak Response Innovation Graphic: Alex Leeds Matthews and Matt Stiles, CNN

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 12d
Majorities of white church attenders who vote Republican continue to rise, and the more frequent their attendance, the higher that proportion.

I wrote an article last year for church leaders discussing the implications of this partisan shift for racial justice 👉 www.researchgate.net/publication/...
The graph shows that large and growing majorities of white religious attenders have voted for Donald Trump in every election from 2016 to 2024, and that support consistently rises with more frequent church attendance. Overall pattern - In all three election years, Trump’s share of the two-party vote among white voters is lowest among those who never attend services and increases stepwise at each higher level of attendance (seldom, yearly, monthly, weekly, weekly+). - By 2024, Trump wins clear majorities in every white attendance category, with his strongest backing among the most frequent attenders. White voters by attendance - Among whites who never attend, Trump’s support is a minority in each year (around two-fifths in 2016, about one-third in 2020, and slightly higher but still below half in 2024). - Among whites who attend seldom or yearly, Trump’s share is in the mid-to-high 50s in 2016, around 55–60% in 2020, and mid-50s to mid-60s in 2024, indicating durable Republican majorities. - Among monthly attenders, his vote share rises from just over 60% in 2016 to mid‑60s by 2020 and 2024. - Among weekly and more‑than‑weekly attenders, Trump’s support is extremely high and climbs over time: roughly low‑ to mid‑80s in 2016 and 2020 and reaching about 90% among the most frequent attenders in 2024. ### Illustration: white attenders (approximate Trump two‑party vote share) | Year | Never | Seldom | Yearly | Monthly | Weekly | Weekly+ | |------|-------|--------|--------|---------|--------|---------| | 2016 | 40% | 57% | 59% | 62% | 72% | 85% [3] | | 2020 | 32% | 55% | 60% | 64% | 74% | 86% [3] | | 2024 | 36% | 56% | 66% | 68% | 78% | 90% [3] | Nonwhite voters - Among nonwhite voters, Trump’s support is much lower overall, but it also increases with more frequent attendance and rises modestly over time. - Nonwhite never‑attenders remain solidly Democratic, while Trump approaches or passes the 40–50% range only among the most frequent nonwhite attenders by 2024.

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 12d
The Politics of Raw Power
Joseph O’Neill, interviewed by Daniel Drake
www.nybooks.com/online/2026/...
The second kind of politics is the politics of raw power. This is where things become difficult. The Republican Party, animated by fantasies of crushing liberals and minorities once and for all, is fundamentally devoted to achieving one-party rule. This is the intention of its base, its D.C. and state politicians, its Supreme Court judges, its propagandists and ideologists, and of course its would-be Supreme Leader. This intention can be seen everywhere from the evil fervor of certain administration apparatchiks to the decorous enablement by elder statesmen in Congress and on the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Roberts, for example, may not actively dream of a Republican dictatorship, but he has purposefully used his power to advance that scenario. The Politics of Raw Power Joseph O’Neill, interviewed by Daniel Drake January 24, 2026 https://www.nybooks.com/online/2026/01/24/politics-of-raw-power-joseph-oneill/

Reposted by Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Mark Rice , and 1 more

iansociologo.bsky.social
Ian Carrillo @iansociologo.bsky.social · 12d
Public opinion still matters, and it has strongly turned against Trump.

www.gelliottmorris.com/p/trumps-imm...
A chart by G Elliott Morris showing that Trump is in the negatives on immigration, deportation, trade, civil rights/democracy, overall, healthcare, and inflation/cost of living.

Reposted by Elizabeth Sharrow, Peter Thorne, Gavin A. Schmidt , and 15 more

mollyploofkins.bsky.social
Molly Ploofkins @mollyploofkins.bsky.social · 13d
Alex Pretti’s coworkers take a moment of silence this morning

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 14d
👇👇👇
sarahlongwell25.bsky.social Sarah Longwell @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social · 14d
A thread of MAGA protesting with guns and not getting murdered for it...

Arizona, November 2020

Reposted by David Dunning, Rosemary A. Joyce, Gerardo Martí

anamariecox.bsky.social
Ana Marie Cox @anamariecox.bsky.social · 14d
Statement from the Minnesota Timberwolves team chaplain with alt text (ht @gregolear.bsky.social)
MIN S3AT STATEMENT FROM MATT MOBERG, CHAPLAIN OF THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES IF YOU'RE A CHURCH POSTING PRAYERS FOR PEACE AND UNITY TODAY WHILE MY CITY BLEEDS IN THE STREET, MISS ME WITH THAT SOFTNESS YOU ONLY WEAR WHEN IT COSTS YOU NOTHING. DON'T DRESS AVOIDANCE UP AS HOLINESS. DON'T CALL SILENCE "PEACEMAKING." DON'T LIGHT A CANDLE AND THINK IT SUBSTITUTES FOR SHOWING UP. TONIGHT AN ICE AGENT TOOK A PHOTO OF ME NEXT TO MY CAR, LOOKED ME IN THE EYE AND TOLD ME, "WE'LL BE SEEING YOU SOON." NOT METAPHOR. NOT HYPERBOLE. A THREAT DRESSED UP IN A BADGE AND A PAYCHECK. PEACE ISN'T WHAT YOU ASK FOR WHEN THE BOOT IS ALREADY ON SOMEONE'S NECK. PEACE IS WHAT THE POWERFUL ASK FOR WHEN THEY DON'T WANT TO BE INTERRUPTED. UNITY ISN'T NEUTRAL. UNITY THAT REFUSES TO NAME VIOLENCE IS JUST LOYALTY TO THE ONES HOLDING THE WEAPONS. STOP USING SCRIPTURE LIKE CHLOROFORM. STOP CALLING YOUR FEAR "WISDOM." STOP PRETENDING JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED BECAUSE HE PREACHED GOOD VIBES AND PERSONAL GROWTH. YOU DON'T GET TO QUOTE SCRIPTURE LIKE A LULLABY, WHILE INJUSTICE STAYS WIDE AWAKE. YOU DON'T GET TO ASK GOD TO "HEAL THE LAND" IF YOU WON'T EVEN LOOK AT THE WOUND. THERE IS A KIND OF PEACE THAT ONLY EXISTS BECAUSE IT REFUSES TO TELL THE TRUTH. THAT PEACE IS A LIE. AND LIES DON'T GROW ANYTHING WORTH SAVING. THE SCRIPTURES YOU LOVE WEREN'T WRITTEN TO KEEP THINGS CALM. THEY WERE WRITTEN TO SET THINGS RIGHT. AND SOMETIMES THE MOST FAITHFUL THING YOU CAN DO IS STOP PRAYING AROUND THE PAIN AND START STANDING INSIDE IT. IF THAT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE-GOOD. GROWTH ALWAYS IS.

Reposted by Richard E. Lenski, Robert Wolfe, Els Torreele , and 7 more

sarahlongwell25.bsky.social
Sarah Longwell @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social · 14d
A thread of MAGA protesting with guns and not getting murdered for it...

Arizona, November 2020

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 14d
New Research JSSR

White evangelicals are especially attuned to slights directed at a fellow Christian but significantly LESS likely to view same behavior as discriminatory with a member of a religious out-group.

This pattern is unique to white evangelicals.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/AZGDYW...
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion ORIGINAL ARTICLE Full Access What Counts as Discrimination Against Whom? Understanding Perceived Discrimination Against Christians Michele F. Margolis X First published: 18 January 2026 https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.70023

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Jan W. Mueller, Brian A. Nosek , and 29 more

jeffrueter.bsky.social
Jeff Rueter @jeffrueter.bsky.social · 14d
Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.

"Please get the truth out about our son."
Statement from Michael and Susan Pretti Parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti “We are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the ‘hero’ term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 15d
👇👇👇
nick-pettigrew.bsky.social Nick Pettigrew @nick-pettigrew.bsky.social · 15d
The people who'll tell you today's murder victim in Minnesota shouldn't have turned up to a protest carrying a gun are the same people who said Kyle Rittenhouse was perfectly entitled to do the same thing.

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 15d
There are many firmly progressive Baptists.

This is not one of them.
bradleyonishi.bsky.social Dr. Bradley Onishi @bradleyonishi.bsky.social · 15d
We are dealing with a Western Christian supremacist movement willing to see millions die in the name of racial purity. This is William Wolfe. A year ago he was invited with fourteen other faith leaders to the WH. Today he is praising ICE for killing peaceful observers. This is Christian fascism.

Reposted by David Webster, Gerardo Martí

bradleyonishi.bsky.social
Dr. Bradley Onishi @bradleyonishi.bsky.social · 15d
We are dealing with a Western Christian supremacist movement willing to see millions die in the name of racial purity. This is William Wolfe. A year ago he was invited with fourteen other faith leaders to the WH. Today he is praising ICE for killing peaceful observers. This is Christian fascism.

Reposted by Jason Mittell, Robert Wolfe, David Rosnick , and 4 more

nick-pettigrew.bsky.social
Nick Pettigrew @nick-pettigrew.bsky.social · 15d
The people who'll tell you today's murder victim in Minnesota shouldn't have turned up to a protest carrying a gun are the same people who said Kyle Rittenhouse was perfectly entitled to do the same thing.