All the religion news that’s unfit to print
Sacred Matters is serious fun for serious scholars and intellectuals who want to think outside the religion box. Religion doesn’t matter here, but Sacred Matters is only and exclusively interested in religious matters, with its own peculiar twists and takes on what that even means in the 21st century.
I’m tired of religion and politics, the non-stop, endless news cycle focusing on (sorry, old-school phrase) the politicization of religion (though I love the religicization of politics); bored with singular religious identities tied solely to some imagined “tradition” (like evangelical Christians, Reform Jews, or Theravada Buddhists); and dreaming of an entertaining, dynamic, and challenging media space that can respectfully play with the variety of sacred matters in our lives while traditional religions crumble, corrupt, and combust.
With a range of blogs and websites dedicated to religion flourishing online right now, Sacred Matters is designed primarily though not exclusively with the “nones” in mind. These are individuals who prefer not to claim a specific, singular religious identity on surveys, who are unaffiliated, and who cross generations though are mostly young Americans. Whether one is a “none” or a true believer, the sacred is not always what it seems, can be associated with just about any thing, and remains pervasive and pertinent in everyday, ordinary life and unusual, extraordinary experiences.
Sacred Matters features articles, commentaries, podcasts, and other media that bring sacred notions and activities often excluded from conversations about religion and spirituality to the fore. The scope of topics is expansive but culture-bound, so everything from science to popular culture; theology to sexuality; drugs to the environment–and more–is covered. You interested in writing? Contact the dude below at gladerm@emory.edu.
EDITORIAL STAFF
EDITOR
GARY LADERMAN, PHD
Emory University, Department of Religion
MANAGING EDITOR
DANIELLA HOBBS
Emory University, Division of Religion, PhD Student
CONTRIBUTE
We welcome submissions and look for thoughtful pieces that bring the religious elements of cultural life to light in new ways, beyond headlines and bullet points, beneath surveys and contemporary trends. We want thought-provoking and well-considered written (500–2000 words generally) or multimedia essays. Our readers are varied, but they all want more than the usual blogs on religion.
A submission will not be considered if it has have been previously published or is concurrently under consideration by another journal or press. Copyright for essays published at Sacred Matters is retained by the authors. All images, video, and sound files associated with published submissions are securely archived by Emory University’s Woodruff Library.
You can send submissions, questions, or pitches to sacredmatters@emory.edu.