The Revealer The Center for Religion and Media at NYU

How have media depictions of Muslims been changing in recent years? Rosemary Pennington, author of the new book Pop Islam: Seeing American Muslims in Popular Media, joins us to discuss the place of Islam in American media. We discuss how Muslims have turned to pop culture to broaden ideas about Islam, how some Muslim performers have used humor to present a more robust picture of Muslim life, what we should make of the depictions of Muslims in shows like Ms. Marvel and Ramy, and what the place of Muslims in pop culture reveals about Islam in the United States today.

LGBTQ Republicans and LGBTQ conservatives are more common than many people may realize. Neil Young, author of Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right, joins us to discuss LGBTQ conservatives and their place within the Republican Party. We discuss how gay Republicans responded to the rise of the anti-queer religious right in the GOP, how they worked to convince church-going Americans that it is okay to be gay, how they are responding to the current barrage of anti-trans legislation, and what they want for America as we head into the 2024 election.

What are the religious and political messages the massive Contemporary Christian Music industry broadcasts? Leah Payne, author of God Gave Rock and Roll to You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music, joins us to discuss why evangelical leaders invested so heavily in this industry and why they especially wanted it to resonate with teenagers. We discuss the racial, religious, and nationalistic ideas this music promotes, the music’s messaging about gender, and what Christian pop culture reveals about what evangelicals, Pentecostals, and other conservative Protestants envision for the United States and what they want in the 2024 election.

What is contributing to the growing and prominent movement of ex-evangelicals in the United States? Sarah McCammon, a National Political Correspondent for NPR and author of the forthcoming book The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church, joins us to discuss why so many people are leaving white evangelicalism and how that exodus impacts the broader culture. We discuss ex-evangelicals’ insights about why so many evangelicals are primed to accept “alternative facts,” why most white evangelicals remain loyal to Trump, and what all of this portends about the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

How has Russia used religion as a tactic and justification for its invasion of Ukraine? Dr. Nicholas Denysenko, author of The Church’s Unholy War: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and Orthodoxy, joins us to discuss the place of Orthodox Christianity within Russia’s war against Ukraine. How has Russia used the Orthodox Church to influence life in Ukraine? How have Russian Orthodox Church leaders justified the invasion and the horrific violence? And what can Orthodox Christians and other concerned people around the world do to help bring an end to this war?

How do your sexual behaviors reflect and influence your broader social interactions? Ethicist Dr. Rebecca Epstein-Levi, author of When We Collide: Sex, Social Risks, and Jewish Ethics, joins us to discuss sexual ethics for today’s world. What does it mean to be sex positive? What might the rabbis of the Talmud, writing more than a thousand years ago, have to say about social risks that could help us think about sexually transmitted infections and other sexual risks? And in a world that seems to be falling apart from climate change, war, and right wing politics, why is it especially important to pay attention to sexual ethics now?