USA Today: Opinion: When COVID-19 and religious freedom intersect

UC's Andrew Lewis writes national opinion piece on religious freedoms during the pandemic

Andrew Lewis, a University of Cincinnati associate professor of political science, and co-author Asma Uddin, contend that “religious freedom has been consumed by tribal warfare” in a USA Today opinion piece on the pandemic and partisan politics.

In the article, the authors state that “numerous surveys find that religious freedom, while popular, has become associated with partisan politics,” specifically pointing to the Supreme Court's recent ruling against COVID-19 restrictions imposed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on religious services.

Lewis is a politics and religion expert and the author of “The Rights Turn in Conservative Christian Politics: How Abortion Transformed the Culture Wars.”

Read the entire USA Today article.

Featured image of churchgoer with hymnal. Photo/Callahan/Unsplash 

Impact Lives Here

The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.

Related Stories

1

UC co-op helps build career pathways at AtriCure

July 28, 2026

AtriCure, a global medical device company in Mason, Ohio, is UC’s largest biomedical engineering co-op employer, turning University of Cincinnati co-op students into full-time innovators.

2

CCM welcomes new musical theatre faculty member Avery Bargassé

July 28, 2026

UC College-Conservatory of Music Dean Pete Jutras has announced the appointment of Avery Bargassé as CCM's new Assistant Professor Educator of Musical Theatre Voice. His faculty appointment officially begins on Aug. 15, 2026. Bargassé is a versatile vocalist, recording artist and voice teacher whose career spans television, popular music and classical singing. He approaches teaching from a whole-person perspective, helping students develop healthy, flexible technique that supports expressive communication across styles.

3

UC doctoral student shares his journey with Spectrum News

July 27, 2026

UC doctoral student Amota Ataneka spoke with Spectrum News about his educational journey. Ataneka, a native of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, is one of 35 emerging scholars across the United States to win the National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship.