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Help us with our “brainstorming”

At the start of each month, the International Association of Religion Journalists (IARJ) publishes this “Religion Story Ideas” column as a helpful way to spark fresh stories for our colleagues reporting on religion, spirituality and related cultures around the world.

Sponsored by the Communications Committee of the IARJ, these short columns are designed as brainstorming opportunities. And, we want to thank IARJ members who already have sent us suggestions for future “Ideas” columns!

Embracing (and condemning) AI

After several months of these “Ideas” columns, helpful emails are beginning to trickle in with suggestions for future columns. And, the No. 1 subject over the past month has been: “Report more on AI.” Religious groups, denominations and individual preachers are tackling the “rise of AI” with attitudes that range from equating AI with the devil to embracing its ability to help expand ministries. Wherever you are reporting around the world, timely AI-and-religion stories are popping up every month. Not long ago in Greece, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew condemned AI as “impending robotocracy.” The main objection to AI across religious groups is that there’s no safeguard against AI providing rogue pastoral advice or straying from accepted doctrines—plus there’s the potential of AI to cannibalize religious leaders’ sermons and other writings. However, there’s as much warm embracing as there is condemning. A tidal wave of religious leaders, especially writers and preachers, are adopting AI tools and are working on carefully moderated guidelines for using such powerful software. One example: In Ghana, in August, the African Catholic Union of the Press (UCAP) pledged to develop a continental charter on “AI and Ethical Journalism.” And, recently, the vast Internet nonprofit called IslamiCity unveiled its own AI-powered gateway to Islamic resources. There are many fresh AI-related stories to report on the “religion beat” wherever you are based.

Dig deeper into the Jewish High Holy Days

Veteran religion writers around the world know there are certain obligatory stories to report each year, including Easter, Christmas, Ramadan and the Jewish High Holy Days. But one way to freshen and broaden the impact of such stories is to look more closely at individual parts of these traditions. The Jewish High Holy Days (or Yamim Nora’im, “Days of Awe”) comprise a series of traditional observances, and within each one of those observances are individual prayers and actions that are rich in meaning. One example that’s guaranteed to produce a meaningful story is the practice of “Teshuva” or “Repentance” before Rosh Hashanah. Throughout early September around the world, Jewish men and women are reaching out to people they may have in some way harmed over the past year with expressions of regret and repentance. If individuals in your area are willing to talk about these experiences, the resulting true stories can be emotional and inspiring expressions of goodness in the world.

Or, for the High Holy Days, consider interviewing a Holocaust survivor

Most religion writers have reported on the Holocaust, and the lives of survivors, but we were reminded in an email from a colleague to stress how rapidly survivors are disappearing around the world. This suggestion came after our July “Ideas” column pointed out that “World War II veterans” around the world are disappearing. “You need to point out that it’s not just military veterans, but also Holocaust survivors who are vanishing,” wrote a colleague in a private note. And so, it felt appropriate to add this reminder as the High Holy Days are approaching in September. If you’re looking for data on this vulnerable population, the “Claims Conference” is a good place to start, although online searches will turn up almost annual news stories on the shrinking numbers from sources including the Associated Press.

Surfing and Spirituality

Yes, that’s right: We’re suggesting “religion reporting on surfing!” That’s not a metaphor. We’re literally talking about surfing on ocean waves. In talking with journalists over the past month, we’ve regularly asked if they’ve ever reported “a religion story on surfing.” And, so far, we’ve received lots of curious questions but no responses. (If you’ve reported such a story, let us know and we’ll link to it in a future column.) So, here are a few tempting details: Right now, we’re roughly 75 years from the rise of what has become a multi-billion-dollar worldwide surfing culture and industry—give or take a few years. Next year, 2026, will be the 60th anniversary of a globally transformative documentary about surfing called, “Endless Summer.” Many surfing enthusiasts tell a version of surfing history that celebrates post-WWII surfers, but enterprising reporters will find traditional coastal cultures with surf-like human engagement with sacred ocean waves that, in some cases, stretches back thousands of years. This is a terrific opportunity for journalists in oceanic regions to dig into the deepest spiritual roots of human connections with the planet’s water. And, remember, if you’ve already reported on this—or have further suggestions—tell us about it.

Keep an eye on Pew Research

Our friends at Pew Research continue to produce worldwide reports that can easily form the basis of a fresh religion news story. One good example of this is an August 19, 2025, Pew report with a lengthy headline: “International Opinion on Global Threats—False information, global economy and terrorism seen as major threats; concern has declined on climate change, infectious diseases.” The report draws data from 25 countries!

Ultimately, the calendar is our friend

A central truth in all of the world’s religious tradition is the sacred nature of marking time, so veteran religion journalists always have an eye on their calendars. But here are a few milestones you might have overlooked:

October 4, 2025, is 60 years since Pope Paul VI’s historic address to the United Nations.

October 7 marks 75 years since Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity were officially established.

October 28 is 60 years since Vatican II’s landmark “Nostra aetate.”

October 30 is 150 years since the first publication of Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.

November 17 is 150 years since the Theosophical Society was founded in New York.

Let’s continue the brainstorming

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.