Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture
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csraac.bsky.social
Center for the Study of Religion & American Culture
@csraac.bsky.social
https://raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/

The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at IUI explores the connection between religion and other aspects of American culture.
Meet the panelists for our upcoming conversation on Religion & Teaching in Times of Tension ft. Dr. Robert Orsi!
We are honored to have these brilliant scholars join us for this important conversation.
Learn more and register today:
raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/rel...
November 25, 2025 at 4:50 PM
#aarsbl25 is still going strong. In the last few sessions of the conference, hear about Black religion and death, Latin American culture wars, contextual approaches to "Evangelical scholarship," and more with RAAC staff, scholars, and fellows.
November 24, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Our reception last night was a blast! Thank you to all who came out and had a great time connecting with friends and colleagues.
#aarsbl2025
November 24, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Wake up, Boston! Sunday at #aarsbl25 is full of sessions featuring the Center's fellows, Young Scholars, and staff. Check out a few of the highlights for the early blocks and follow along for more updates throughout the day and all conference long.
November 23, 2025 at 1:38 PM
#aarsbl2025 is going strong! Today, the Center's Associate Director, Joseph Tucker Edmonds, hosted a panel on religion, teaching, and games with former YSAR member Jeffrey Wheatley!
Stop by our reception tomorrow night!
November 22, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Saturday afternoon features conversations on the job market, secularization in politics, challenges in Islamic studies, and the perception of the death of lived religion. Join our fellows and scholars for any of these and other informative sessions. #aarsbl25
November 22, 2025 at 8:10 PM
#aarsbl25 is in full swing. Yesterday, the Center's Associate Director, Joseph Tucker Edmonds, kicked off the conference as a panelist for Centers for Religion and Public Life Workshop. Stay tuned and let us know which sessions you'll be leading, responding, or attending.
November 22, 2025 at 6:03 PM
The annual meetings of @aarweb.bsky.social are underway! All weekend, the Center will be highlighting just a few of the sessions featuring some of our network of fellows and scholars who are presenting at the conference. Follow along and let us know which sessions you are planning to attend!
November 22, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Join us this Sunday November 23, from 8-10 p.m. EST at the Westin Copley Place, Huntington Ballroom at #AARSBL for our annual reception!
Learn more & sign up to skip the line: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/aar-2025/
November 21, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Join us Dec. 4th for an important episode of Religion &. Religion & Teaching in Tense Times will focus on exploring how the state of today’s campuses and classrooms impact the work of religion scholars and scholarship.
Register today:
raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/rel...
November 20, 2025 at 7:46 PM
The recording and podcasts are live and now so are the teaching resources and show notes!
Explore our most recent episode of Religion & and make sure to follow along for more information about upcoming episodes.
raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/rel...
November 20, 2025 at 6:20 PM
If you were unable to join us live or would like to revisit or share this timely conversation on religion & the shifting demands for philanthropy with others, the recording is now available to watch on YouTube or listen to on major podcast platforms!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zYs...
November 19, 2025 at 7:56 PM
The second article in this free virtual issue is Amanda Izzo's “The Homosocial Gospel: Winnifred Wygal and the Women Couples of the Young Women's Christian Association of the USA" which won the 2025 Jane Dempsey Douglass Prize from the American Society of Church History!
November 19, 2025 at 5:57 PM
For the rest of the month we are offering free access to two award winning articles! The first is Sonia Hazard's “How Joseph Smith Encountered Printing Plates and Founded Mormonism”, which won the 2023 Pollock Best Historical Article Award.
Read the article here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
November 17, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Check out another Native American Heritage month resource from our library.
Find the syllabus here: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/teaching_res...

Read all of the articles for free until the end of the month!
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
November 14, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Will we see you this year at our annual AAR/SBL Reception?
The Center's reception is a prime opportunity to connect with new & familiar peers, further conversations, and enjoy an assortment of refreshments.
Learn more & sign up to skip the line: raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/aar-2025/
November 14, 2025 at 4:44 PM
"Sometimes the religious or moral languages that faith communities have at the ready don't translate to philanthropic institutions. Are there roadblocks? Are there signs of hope for how we can help shape these larger questions that are not defined by faith communities?" — David King #ReligionAnd
November 13, 2025 at 8:56 PM
"I think that faith communities have these moral resources to imagine things differently than we're seeing right now that we can be tapped into this idea of calling people into a future that includes everyone." — Catherine Orsborn #ReligionAnd
November 13, 2025 at 8:52 PM
"No matter what you think about faith, when the majority of the people you serve are people of faith, it would be a strategic error to think you can achieve progress toward some aim while discounting a whole segment of analysis of a population's values and beliefs." — Jason Garrett #ReligionAnd
November 13, 2025 at 8:48 PM
"There has been a tendency to see religion as a separate realm that's not integrated into the whole foundation and therefore not integrated into the whole society. I think that has serious drawbacks and limitations and is an important dimension of the current moment." — Benjamin Soskis #ReligionAnd
November 13, 2025 at 8:37 PM
"When I think about this moment and this opportunity, I've raised the question of why we are here in this moment. It's partially because it's not just about meeting material needs but meeting their spiritual needs as well." — Jason Garrett #ReligionAnd
November 13, 2025 at 8:34 PM
"We see faith in the sense of an important bridge between communities and a source of shared moral imagination that helps us invest in people and ideas that build belonging."
November 13, 2025 at 8:25 PM
"The number of donors—the people who actually give to nonprofits—has been declining. There's this general question of what is the relationship between giving and civic participation and if people's sense of agency is eroding, leading to a sense of disconnection." — Benjamin Soskis #ReligionAnd
November 13, 2025 at 8:20 PM
"Oftentimes, religion may be overlooked or taken for granted in our focused attention in the world of philanthropy. At the same time, religion doesn't fully understand philanthropy. Our task today is to put these spaces in conversation and work to defy these blind spots." — David King #ReligionAnd
November 13, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Religion & the Shifting Demand for Philanthropy is kicking off live now via Zoom. You can still register and attend live at raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/rel....

We will also be posting live updates here on the conversation with our panel. #ReligionAnd
Religion & the Shifting Demand for Philanthropy - Religion and American Culture
In the U.S., religion remains by far the largest recipient of individuals’ charitable giving, though that proportion has been declining for years—reflecting major shifts in American religiosity and religious practice. In light of the shift of lessened giving coupled with a growing need for philanthropic efforts, we will explore the emerging patterns of everyday giving and volunteering as well as major trends in big philanthropy, asking how they impact and reflect shifts in religious life, civil society, and public discourse. Finally, we will address the overlapping themes of religion and philanthropy in a time of political uncertainty when it comes to funding sources, the nature and role of community, individual obligation, and the changing shape of moral imagination.
raac.indianapolis.iu.edu
November 13, 2025 at 8:05 PM