From Winnie-the-Pooh to Timbuktu

Sponsored by the Communications Committee of the International Association of Religion Journalists (IARJ), these columns are designed as brainstorming opportunities. And, we want to thank IARJ members who already have sent us suggestions for future columns!

2026 Is a Banner Year for Reporting on Global Religious Connections

This first IARJ story ideas column of 2026 is a treasure trove of potential reporting, based on religious anniversaries and milestones this year—some tied to quite specific dates and others more generally associated with this year. I am assuming that every journalist with a specialty in reporting on religion already has a “religious holidays and festivals” calendar—so you’re already planning for those annual milestones.

The gems in this column are different! Some of them are well known to every journalist who regularly covers this beat. Some are more obscure. All are worth further reporting and could result in some remarkable stories that might wind up being shared with readers around the world. I’ve also tried to sort this list to highlight milestones that already are generating special programs, publications, and events. (And, please, if you do report on any of these ideas, tell me about it! I would like to help amplify your reporting on these themes and I’m making it very easy: Just email me personally at david.crumm @ gmail.com)

To keep the length of this column manageable, I’m going to list these opportunities concisely and let you, the reader, decide which ones catch your eye. That will depend on your personal interests, the makeup of your audience and where you live on our planet.

I’ll start with a reporting opportunity that I already previewed in the December 2025 IARJ story ideas column: The 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi, which will draw pilgrims from around the world and is recognized as a historic event across Christianity. Time frame: Pilgrimages to Assisi are focused on a first-ever public display of St. Francis’s remains February 22 through March 22. Events will continue through the anniversary of his death on October 3, 1226. His worldwide feast day is October 4 each year. This is far more than a pilgrimage/travel story, given that Francis played major roles in reforming the Roman Catholic church well before the official Reformation, prompted a special interest in nature and animal life that continues today—and remains a potentially unifying figure across global religious divisions.

OK, so now, here are—

Timely story ideas for religion journalists in 2026:

Most of us missed it in our 2025 reporting, so I’m listing the Nicene Creed—a defining summation of Christianity, which was issued in 325. Pope Leo XIV traveled to Turkey in late November 2025 for a special 1700th anniversary event where he pleaded with world leaders to “overcome the scandal of divisions.” At that point, late in 2025, most of us already were focused on year-end holiday coverage—but there’s still a chance to come around on this. Nicene-related reflections are continuing in 2026 thanks to Leo.

Vatican leadership also is gearing up for a major celebration of the consecration of St. Peter’s Basilica on November 18, 1626—400 years ago. Special exhibitions begin as early as February. The Vatican also is co-sponsoring a feature-length documentary that will be released in 2026.

Both 2025 and 2026 represent 80 years since the rebirth of Jewish communal life in post-World War II DP (Displaced Persons) Camps in Europe. This is a complex story of growing global awareness of the Holocaust and its aftermath, the birth of a Jewish press within DP camps, and the rise of congregations and cultural life within the DP network. And, as I mentioned in earlier columns, the Holocaust survivors still among us are vanishing rapidly.

April 9 is the 120th anniversary of the start of the Azusa Street Revival, which is widely credited as the birth of the worldwide Pentecostal movement. Alternatively, another window into Pentecostal origins is the 125th anniversary of Charles Fox Parham’s first major experience with the baptism of the Holy Spirit on January 1, 1901.

America has always been a cauldron of spiritual innovation and spawned lots of social movements with deep religious roots. Looking for a timely “peg” to explore religious groups’ approaches to alcohol consumption? February 13, 2026, is the 200th anniversary of the founding of The American Temperance Union. And if you’re exploring a “drinking” theme, December 1826 was the “Eggnog Riot” at West Point. No kidding—look it up.

Then, continuing with the theme of American religious innovation, the famed evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson made front-page headlines by “disappearing” in May 1926—100 years ago. If you’re drawn toward “disappearance” stories on the religion beat—there’s a double centennial in 2026, since Agatha Christie infamously “disappeared” in December 1926. Why did such powerful, creative women feel they needed to get away in such dramatic fashion? There’s a spiritual angle to explore and lots of fascinating historical detail in these headline-grabbing disappearances.

There are many milestones across the African continent—and the African diaspora. August 18 is the 200th anniversary of Scottish explorer Alexander Gordon Laing becoming the first European on record as having reached Timbuktu in the venerable land of Mali. He soon was killed there and two centuries of traumatic history unfolded in the wake of such “explorations.” And here’s another time peg: August 6 is the 150th anniversary of Al-Ahram. So what’s the religion angle in that story? Did you know this venerable Egyptian newspaper was founded by two Lebanese Melkite brothers? In the U.S., Americans will mark a century of national Black history commemorations in 2026. If you’re interested in religion-related associations with that centennial, investigate the remarkable life of Carter G. Woodson, the scholar responsible for opening up this field of cross-cultural reflection. You’ll find Woodson had a complex relationship with religious figures in American life.

Lots of global media will pass into public domain in 2026, which means these works may spark fresh discussions. Two examples of these works with timeless spiritual themes are Thornton Wilder’s Our Town and The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Checking out the voluminous list of media reaching “public domain” in 2026 could spark some intriguing stories in your part of the world—because this process takes place in many countries every year. And there are anniversaries of many other media milestones with deep spiritual themes: Mendelssohn finished the overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream 200 years ago, sparking two centuries of reveries over his beautiful score.

Literary milestones can be wonderful story ideas on the religion beat, including in October 2026, when we reach the centennial of the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh. That work has sparked a wide array of spiritual reflections over the years from the lingering scars of traumatic war (A.A. Milne served on the Somme in World War I) to the themes of Taoism in a landmark 1982 bestseller by Benjamin Hoff. At this point in his life, convincing Hoff to sit for a fresh interview would be considered a coup in publishing. And, by the way, Winnie-the-Pooh by Milne is in public domain—if you avoid the Disney versions.

And, of course, speaking of publishing: 1526—500 years ago—was the first publication of William Tyndale’s New Testament. Reporters across Europe especially can find lots of other 500-year anniversaries of Reformation events. Just one example: Haderslev, Denmark, has a series of religious, scholarly, and cultural events in 2026 marking its pride in becoming “the first place in Northern Europe where Luther’s groundbreaking ideas were put into practice.”

Many centuries-old religious practices lasted far longer than they should have. July 26, 2026, is the 200th anniversary of the death of the last person to be executed for heresy in Spain by the infamous Inquisition’s successor. You’re looking for the story of Cayetano Ripoll.

Europe isn’t the only place recalling major religious transitions. Looking to Asia, consider reporting on the 500th anniversary of the dawn of the Mughal rule in India. You’re looking for “the First Battle of Panipat” in April 1526.

For a broader perspective on Asian religious traditions in 2026, religion reporters could explore “1,400 years of Buddhism on the Silk Road.” That would be a reference to the nearly two-decade-long journey of the astonishingly courageous and clever Buddhist monk Xuanzang. Spellings of his name vary and so do historical estimates of his precise dates of travel. Never heard of him? Hint: You can draw connections from his legacy to manga and even gaming. The larger point is: There’s a potential here for a sweeping series of stories about how Buddhism moved across Asia and continues to move today. In fact, if you’re looking for an upcoming time peg for a series on the global spread of Buddhism, check out the year 1227—close to 800 years ago—in the history of Japanese Zen. That date gives you even more time to report in 2026.

Just as the global history of Buddhism is under-reported in Western media, so is the emergence of Bhakti Hinduism, a term referring to the centuries-long development of Hindu practices that made the faith accessible to everyday people. Scholars vary on whether this idea evolved over thousands of years or was spread through a series of scholars and revivals—but this issue is akin to the Christian question of the historical definition of “Reformation.” A contemporary religion reporter wanting to bring greater awareness to Hinduism in 2026 could develop a story, or a series, on the Bhakti movement as it grew “over a millennium.”

Share ideas with us

Let’s make this as easy as possible: David Crumm, a veteran religion writer, magazine editor and publisher based in Michigan in the U.S., writes this column on behalf of the IARJ Communications Committee. If you’ve got further ideas to share about any item in this column, email David directly at [email protected]

Or, if you’ve reported these kinds of stories, send David a link that we can include in a future column.

The IARJ is dedicated to assisting religion journalists around the world to help each other find ever more meaningful ways to report on the significant impact of religion in communities around the world.