Dear Revealer readers,

Earlier this summer my husband had an astute idea. He suggested that we not discuss politics for the entirety of our overseas vacation, a total of sixteen days. Whenever one of us slipped and mentioned something political, the other would simply say “politics,” and we shifted our conversation to another topic. I cannot convey how much I appreciated this brief, and undeniably privileged, respite from the political anxieties that typically occupy my daily life. The break from thinking about politics allowed me to revel in our travel experiences, appreciate my surroundings with a sense of gratitude, and – of great importance – relax.

Revealer Editor, Brett Krutzsch

I share this experience because I know this summer has pushed many people to the brink of exhaustion and hopelessness. From the Supreme Court’s decisions about abortion, guns, and prayer in schools to new anti-LGBTQ legislation, devastating gun violence, and the Monkeypox epidemic, the summer of 2022 has been bleak. The road ahead to protect democracy, reproductive justice, racial equality, and more is a complicated and arduous one. We will need as much energy and mental acuity as we can muster. Therefore, dear reader, I say to you: take the time you need to have your own break from politics. Nothing bad will happen because you take a respite from reading the news or discussing the world’s current events. If a two-week break feels too long, take a weeklong pause. If that feels untenable, start with a day. Give yourself the space to think about other things. Find someone who will hold you accountable to your politics hiatus. And then after your reprieve, I suspect you will have greater emotional bandwidth to face our political realities and to implement plans for how you can contribute to improving them. With so much of our political world in upheaval, we need to encourage one another to find ways to rest so we can adequately address what our political crises demand.

With all of this in mind, the Revealer’s Summer 2022 issue examines matters pressing to our current political climate as well as issues beyond the realm of today’s politics. The issue opens with Kaya Oakes’ “Whose Sin Is It Anyway? Abortion, Catholics, and What Comes Next,” where Oakes reflects on how the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will affect the Catholic church in America and questions if, as Catholic teachings dictate, people who get abortions actually need to seek forgiveness from a priest. Next, Daniel José Camacho returns with the newest installment of his “From the Margins” column with “The False Gods That Changed My Mind,” where he reflects on how learning about two “heretical” idols pushed him to reconsider Christianity and its role in promoting white supremacy. Then, in “The Religious Revival of American Formula One Racing,” Adam Willems considers how the surging popularity of F1 racing in the United States resonates with religious undercurrents and how the sports’ financiers collaborate with Christian nationalist politicians who ensure they will make huge profits. Next, in “Using Comedy to Talk about Religious Trauma,” Emma Cieslik reviews Taylor Tomlinson’s Nextflix comedy special and contemplates how humor can be an effective strategy for bringing mainstream attention to painful religious experiences. And, in “The Way Black: Considering Black Membership in the Cult of Gwen Shamblin,” Ambre Dromgoole reviews the HBO Max docuseries The Way Down and reflects on why some Black Americans were drawn to a white evangelical woman’s vision of ideal beauty and faith.

Our summer issue also includes not one, but two episodes of the Revealer podcast! First, in “Religion and Pornography,” Kelsy Burke, author of the forthcoming The Pornography Wars: The Past, Present, and Future of America’s Obscene Obsession, joins us to discuss battles over pornography. We explore why various religious communities oppose pornography, why evangelical Protestants in particular are anxious about masturbation and sex addiction, and what disputes over pornography reveal about today’s political climate. Then, in “Catholic Horror,” Jack Downey, Matthew Cressler, and Kathleen Holscher join us to compare horror films and novels to actual horrors committed by the Catholic church. We explore why Catholicism has been such a popular source of inspiration for horror filmmakers and writers, what the genre can reveal about contemporary society, and why examining it can help us make sense of the clergy abuse crisis and other atrocities committed by the Catholic church. You can listen to both episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

As the summer progresses and we look ahead to what this fall holds, I hope you give yourself permission to rest without guilt. Take the time you need to avoid the news cycle, social media, and political discussions. Allow yourself to feel joy and relaxation. Our democracy needs you revitalized and ready for what lies ahead.

Yours,
Brett Krutzsch, Ph.D.