Social justice themed sermons from civic-minded clergy can push churchgoers towards greater activism to improve racial equality

Religion plays an important role in the lives of many Americans. But what role does religion and religious institutions play in motivating Americans to participate in politics? In their new book, R. Khari Brown, Ronald E. Brown, and James S. Jackson look at the role the spiritual and political efforts made by churches to improve human rights. They find that Black Americans are more likely than White and Hispanic Americans to believe that religious institutions have a moral obligation towards human rights activism, but that all groups are more likely to engage in acts like protests if they attend worship settings where they hear sermons about social justice issues and the importance of political activism.