Dear Revealer readers,

Welcome to our first issue of 2022! I am excited to share some new features coming to the Revealer this year. First, I am thrilled to announce that Kaya Oakes, an esteemed and award-winning author, is joining the Revealer as a columnist. Oakes has authored multiple books about religion, including The Nones are Alright: A New Generation of Seekers, Believers, and Those In Between and The Defiant Middle: How Women Claim Life’s In-Betweens to Remake the World. She also wrote a powerful personal essay for the Revealer’s special issue on Religion and Sex Abuse in 2020. Oakes’ new Revealer column, “Not So Sorry,” will explore forgiveness, especially as it relates to religious institutions. The column will make its debut next month in our March issue.

Revealer Editor, Brett Krutzsch

I am also happy to announce that we are launching a new series this year. Starting in our April issue and continuing through June, we will publish a series of articles on “Catholic Horror.” The series will explore the Catholic horror genre that is popular in films like The Exorcist alongside actual atrocities committed by the Catholic Church. The series will offer an important examination about what these fictional and real-life horrors reveal about the Church and our broader culture.

In 2022, we are also committed to bringing you the high-quality articles and podcast episodes you have come to expect from the Revealer. Our February issue is no exception and explores topics of critical importance today. The issue opens with Jessica Johnson’s “Christian Fascism Online and Off,” where she explores how the Proud Boys use the social media platform Telegram to promote Christian fascism to tens of thousands of followers and how, since the January 6 insurrection, their influence has increased. Next, in “Grief Reconfigured,” Adam Willems profiles a virtual grief network that developed during the pandemic for people in their 20s and 30s that helps them mourn, find community, and develop rituals that offer solace.

Our February issue also covers topics not often explored elsewhere. In “Sex Workers and Spirituality,” Travis LaCouter interviews sex workers and Catholic leaders to highlight what sex workers – from street prostitutes to OnlyFans stars – can offer the Catholic Church if the Church would welcome them without judgment. Then, in “Making Marginalized History Mainstream,” Bhakti Mamtora reflects on the absence of South Asians in American history curriculum and investigates new forms of media that are working to showcase South Asians’ historical contributions to the United States. And, in an excerpt from her new book Movie-Made Jews, Helene Meyers recounts the obstacles actor Zach Braff faced when he pitched a movie that centered Jewish identity and what those hurdles reveal about American culture.

The February issue also features the newest episode of the Revealer podcast: “Hollywood, Movies, and American Jews.” Helene Meyers joins us to discuss the place of Jews in Hollywood and how movies can shape American Jewish identities. We explore the portrayal of Jews on screen, why Barbra Streisand has been a cinematic Jewish icon for decades,  whether non-Jewish actors should play Jewish parts today, and how movies can combat antisemitism. You can listen to this insightful episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

As I think about the articles and podcast episode in this issue with topics that range from the rise in Christian fascism to the spiritual possibilities of sex workers, I am struck by the profoundly diverse ways religion influences our world – and the myriad means by which people influence religious institutions. Since change is constant, the Revealer is committed to adding new features, innovations, and contributors so that we can continue to offer fresh and important insights about religion’s place in our ever-changing world.

Yours,
Brett Krutzsch, Ph.D.