Thomas Tweed
LightNews LightNews
tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed
@tomtweed.bsky.social
300 followers 250 following 45 posts

Historian of religion. Author of Crossing and Dwelling (Harvard); Religion: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford); and Religion in the Lands That Became America (Yale). https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300221480/religion-in-the-lands-that-became-ame .. more

Videos
Political science 35%
Sociology 26%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Patrick Walsh, Thomas A. Tweed

joelherman.bsky.social
Joel Herman @joelherman.bsky.social · 1d
Highlighting these one last time:
A keynote from Prof. Eliga Gould, 'Lord Carlisle’s Union: Making Peace in America, Ireland, and Britain, 1778-1783’.

Brings up an interesting counterfactual: What if America had gone the way of Ireland and remained within empire?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv4F...
Ireland and the American Revolution Keynote Address | Prof Eliga Gould
YouTube video by Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities
www.youtube.com

tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed @tomtweed.bsky.social · 1d
Another forthcoming book on my reading list:
@pennpress.bsky.social

www.pennpress.org/978151282885...
Sacred Economies – Penn Press
How Uganda’s vibrant religious infrastructure supports local and interfaith community care efforts For millions living on the African continent, the experi...
www.pennpress.org

Reposted by Thomas A. Tweed

yalepress.bsky.social
Yale University Press @yalepress.bsky.social · 1d
'Tis the season for gifts 🎁 and deals! Our ❄️ Winter sale ❄️ starts today. Save 30% off thousands of titles with discount code GIFT30 through December 5th. See full terms: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/gift30/

tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed @tomtweed.bsky.social · 3d
Surprised but grateful for the warm response to this short piece on Thanksgiving.

@religionnews.com.web.brid.gy
@convocation.bsky.social
@aarweb.bsky.social

tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed @tomtweed.bsky.social · 4d
Another forthcoming book I can’t wait to read:

@uncpress.bsky.social
@emaisner.bsky.social

uncpress.org/978146969459...
One True Church
In the summer of 1872, a white doctor and a formerly enslaved African American farmer walked through a field near Newton Grove, North Carolina, and mapped ou...
uncpress.org

Reposted by Thomas A. Tweed

pennpress.bsky.social
Penn Press @pennpress.bsky.social · 5d
So awesome to see coverage of GREATER PHILADELPHIA from The Daily Pennsylvanian! Read their article to learn more about the origins of the project, what kinds of information you'll find in the book, and how you can join us on campus on Dec. 4th for the book launch!
Penn Press releases three-volume book project on Philadelphia history
The three volumes — titled “The Greater Philadelphia Region,” “Greater Philadelphia and the Nation,” and “Greater Philadelphia and the World" — cover subjects from the American Revolution and…
bit.ly

tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed @tomtweed.bsky.social · 6d
Great Indigenous art exhibit opening today in Waterville, Maine!

@colbycollege.bsky.social
Museum.colby.edu
Watervillecreates.org

museum.colby.edu/exhibitions/...
Mαwte: Bound Together | Colby College Museum of Art
Initiated by guest curator and Penobscot basketmaker Sarah Sockbeson, this exhibition of contemporary Wabanaki art centers Indigenized methodologies and artistic expression.
museum.colby.edu

tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed @tomtweed.bsky.social · 7d
Thanks so much to Philip Jenkins for the review in @christianitytoday.com

@yalepress.bsky.social
@yalebooks.bsky.social

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/11/more...
More Than a City On a Hill - Christianity Today
Religion in the Lands that Became America moves readers away from religious exceptionalism.
www.christianitytoday.com

tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed @tomtweed.bsky.social · 8d
religionnews.com/2025/11/17/h...
How the Plymouth Pilgrims took over Thanksgiving – and who history left behind
(The Conversation) — In some ways, Thanksgiving is a tradition that unites Americans. But the classic image of the Pilgrims obscures important parts of the country’s story.
religionnews.com

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Thomas A. Tweed

gerardomarti.bsky.social
Gerardo Martí @gerardomarti.bsky.social · 10d
CHARLOTTE

“Agents parked just outside a closed gate leading to the church parking lot & ran into the yard…

The agents asked no questions and showed no identification before taking one man away, whose wife and child were inside at the time…”

More 👉 www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politic...
Church members flee as federal agents arrive at east Charlotte place of worship Nick Sullivan 42 mins ago Congregants of an east Charlotte church scattered into the woods Saturday when masked federal agents arrived and detained one of their members, according to witnesses.

Reposted by Thomas A. Tweed, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

jackjenkins.me
Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 10d
Also in here: DHS responded to the faith-led protest yesterday, calling participants “violent rioters” and “imbecilic morons” who need to “get a job.”

Asked about the statement, one UMC pastor who participated in the protest told me: "This is our job." religionnews.com/2025/11/15/a...
The Department of Homeland Security did not reply immediately to a request for comment, but on Friday a post on the department’s X feed seemed to mock the protest participants, saying, “Womp womp, cry all you want. These criminal illegal aliens aren’t getting released,” the post read. The post called the demonstrators “violent rioters” and “imbecilic morons” who need to “get a job.” Asked about the DHS statement, Woolf said he and other protesters were “demanding constitutional and due process rights” for detainees, adding, “I believe that justice will come in this life or the next.” “I know which side I choose. I choose the gospel,” he added. “This is our job,” said the Rev. Kristina Sinks, a United Methodist pastor who helped organize a worship service, in reply to the DHS post. Sinks also rejected the suggestion that demonstrators were violent. She later explained via text message that she believes it is the job of clergy to “advocate for the oppressed, the vulnerable, and those dehumanized by any forces of evil and oppression.” Sinks added: “Why does DHS feel threatened by clergy praying? What are they hiding?”

tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed @tomtweed.bsky.social · 11d
Here is my piece on Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims, and narrow conceptions of national belonging.
@theconversation.com
@oah.org
@aarweb.bsky.social

theconversation.com/how-the-plym...
How the Plymouth Pilgrims took over Thanksgiving – and who history left behind
In some ways, Thanksgiving is a tradition that unites Americans. But the classic image of the Pilgrims obscures important parts of the country’s story.
theconversation.com

Reposted by Thomas A. Tweed

theatlantic.com
The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 12d
“Amid an overload of information of uncertain value, The Atlantic’s founders wanted to create something that was solid and enduring," Jake Lundberg writes. He looks back to the magazine's founding, 168 years ago, in Time-Travel Thursdays:
Doomscrolling in the 1850s
The Atlantic was born in an era of information overload.
bit.ly

tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed @tomtweed.bsky.social · 13d
U.S. Bishops Issue a “Special Message” on Immigration from Plenary Assembly in Baltimore url:https://www.usccb.org/news/2025/us-bishops-issue-special-message-immigration-plenary-assembly-baltimore

tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed @tomtweed.bsky.social · 14d
Yes. There’s a lot to say about the series on Garfield. Other historians can jump in to add what they noticed. I was surprised it overlooked his background as an ordained minister in the Disciples of Christ.

Reposted by Thomas A. Tweed

samuelmoyn.bsky.social
Samuel Moyn @samuelmoyn.bsky.social · 14d
Cover reveal

tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed @tomtweed.bsky.social · 14d
So grateful to the museum staff and all those who attended in person and on line. Thanks!
@americanwritersmuseum.org
@emilydcrews.bsky.social
americanwritersmuseum.org American Writers Museum @americanwritersmuseum.org · 15d
Tonight, Indigenous Studies scholars @tomtweed.bsky.social and John Low will be at the museum to discuss Tweed's new book, RELIGION IN THE LANDS THAT BECAME AMERICA! Beat the cold and warm up inside while learning more about indigenous history! www.eventbrite.com/e/american-p...
American Prophets: Religion in the Lands that Became America (IN PERSON)
Scholar and author Thomas A. Tweed discusses his new book "Religion in the Lands that Became America" with fellow scholar John N. Low.
www.eventbrite.com

Reposted by Thomas A. Tweed

americanwritersmuseum.org
American Writers Museum @americanwritersmuseum.org · 15d
Tonight, Indigenous Studies scholars @tomtweed.bsky.social and John Low will be at the museum to discuss Tweed's new book, RELIGION IN THE LANDS THAT BECAME AMERICA! Beat the cold and warm up inside while learning more about indigenous history! www.eventbrite.com/e/american-p...
American Prophets: Religion in the Lands that Became America (IN PERSON)
Scholar and author Thomas A. Tweed discusses his new book "Religion in the Lands that Became America" with fellow scholar John N. Low.
www.eventbrite.com

tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed @tomtweed.bsky.social · 18d
So excited to be talking with my friend John Low about my new book on Monday at the American Writers Museum in Chicago!

@americanwritersmuseum.org
@seminarycoopbooks.bsky.social
@emilydcrews.bsky.social
@americanreligion.bsky.social
#AWMAmericanProphets

youtube.com/shorts/7luju...
John Low at the AWM!
YouTube video by American Writers Museum
youtube.com

Reposted by Thomas A. Tweed

propublica.org
ProPublica @propublica.org · 20d
Our analysis of EPA air monitoring data shows that companies have far underestimated the pollution caused by their facilities.

At a U.S. Steel plant outside Pittsburgh, monitors found benzene levels 37 times higher than estimated emissions.

@lisalsong.bsky.social, 📸: @annie-flanagan.bsky.social
Air Pollution From Industrial Facilities Is Far Worse Than Estimated
The Trump administration has put a stop to EPA rules that would have required more than 130 industrial facilities to install air monitors to measure pollution. Millions of people living near these pla...
www.propublica.org

tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed @tomtweed.bsky.social · 25d
Looking forward to talking with John Low about my new book at the American Writers’ Museum in Chicago!
@americanwritersmyseum.org
#AWMAmericanProphets
#AmericanWritersMuseum

American Prophets: Religion in the Lands that Became America (IN PERSON) www.eventbrite.com/e/american-p...
American Prophets: Religion in the Lands that Became America (IN PERSON)
Scholar and author Thomas A. Tweed discusses his new book "Religion in the Lands that Became America" with fellow scholar John N. Low.
www.eventbrite.com

Reposted by Thomas A. Tweed

christianitytoday.com
Christianity Today @christianitytoday.com · 25d
The looming cessation of SNAP benefits exacerbates already-strained resources at the country’s food banks.

The need could very quickly reach “catastrophic levels” that outpace food charities, said the director of Christian antihunger organization Bread for the World.
Government Shutdown Deepens Hunger Crisis - Christianity Today
When paychecks and SNAP distributions stop, the food pantry line grows.
www.christianitytoday.com

tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed @tomtweed.bsky.social · 26d
open.substack.com/pub/lettersf...
MAGA Catholics Cheer Food Stamp Cuts — Pope Leo’s Church Rallies for the Hungry
MAGA Catholic influencers are cheering the cutoff of food stamps — even as Catholic bishops, backed by Pope Leo XIV, plead for a restoration of benefits and mobilize the Church to feed those in need.
open.substack.com

Reposted by Steve Peers, Joni Lovenduski, Thomas A. Tweed , and 1 more

barackobama.bsky.social
Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social · 27d
Pennsylvania has an important Supreme Court race coming up on Tuesday, November 4. If you live in the Keystone State, or know someone who does, vote YES to retain three justices who will protect your fundamental rights and freedoms.

tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed @tomtweed.bsky.social · Oct 25
substack.com/@christopher...
Christopher Hale (@christopherjhale)
In surprising off-the-cuff remarks, Pope Leo said the Catholic Church is studying whether it can ordain women to the diaconate.
substack.com

Reposted by Thomas A. Tweed

us.theconversation.com
The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · Oct 22
In 1939, St. Louis woke up to “Black Tuesday” – a day when coal smoke turned noon into night.

What followed was a yearslong fight for clean air that reshaped the city and paved the way for America’s air pollution laws.
buff.ly/Y88wkCK #climatesky
When coal smoke choked St. Louis, residents fought back − but it took time and money
The situation had to get pretty bad before people really forced the government to act. But the effort was ultimately successful.
buff.ly

tomtweed.bsky.social
Thomas Tweed @tomtweed.bsky.social · Oct 16
Thanks for the chance to think about the contemporary significance of my early work!
amrel.bsky.social American Religion @amrel.bsky.social · Oct 16
Back Pages is back again with your biweekly Thursday installment: Thomas Tweed on American religious historiography. Tweed reflects on the place-centered focus of his scholarship and the importance of narrative complexity in US history. Read further here: www.american-religion.org/back-pages/d...
Documenting the Emergence of a White Male Protestant Establishment — American Religion
Thomas Tweed on American religious historiography
www.american-religion.org