By way of introduction…

I’m doing something a little different on True/Slant. I’m starting a blog about religion.

If you’re thinking *Yawn,* I understand where you’re coming from. It’s the same place a lot of my friends are stuck. But look back to the Bush years, or ex-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Or think about today’s debate on health care, as well as all the other ways religion and politics have collided recently, and I think you’ll have to concede that it’s not subject we can relinquish to the world of ancient Rome.

When I first started writing about religion, I quickly realized that the circle religion reporters live in gets mighty small, pretty fast. And although I’ve come to expect quizzical looks from most people when I mention my beat-of-choice, it’s a subject I continue to follow with interest.

There are some excellent religion blogs out there already. Religion News Service, a national wire service I freelance for, keeps a good tally of things, and of course, there is the Washington Post’s “On Faith” section.

But there’s certainly room on the ol’ religion block. Plenty, I think, that fails to get reported or noticed.

So welcome, both religious and non-religious alike. And expect more soon.