Religious groups remain divided over the President’s approach to immigration, LGBTQ rights and other issues. Read more
Religious groups remain divided over the President’s approach to immigration, LGBTQ rights and other issues. Read more
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” These words of Charles Dickens sound very contemporary. America has just experienced what some are calling the dark night of... Read more
I grew up as an evangelical, but over the last few years, it has become increasingly difficult to identify with the political agenda of evangelicals. Why? Evangelicals have often supported discriminatory laws against LGBTQIA people in the name of freedom of speech, not favored immigrant reform, and treated Muslims with suspicion. White evangelicals, in particular, have not consistently acknowledged our long history of systemic racism in America up to our present day. My difficulty only escalated when white evangelicals voted... Read more
In an historic 6-3 Supreme Court decision handed down last month, Trump-appointed justice Neil Gorusch essentially brought down a hammer on a scientifically unproven theory about homosexuality; a theory which has not only fueled mostly unnecessary culture wars, but has and continues to divide Christendom in the United States and around the globe. The theory, which has for all intents and purposes has become a secular dogma, is that of sexual orientation. Thanks to the brilliant Supreme Court decision, which affirmed... Read more
Journalism never fully grappled with Elizabeth Warren’s complicated use of religion. Even more than the rapid ascendancy of Joe Biden, the coronavirus crisis decisively put an end to a Democratic presidential primary that once seemed interminable. Even at the primary’s height, though, news coverage never quite fully got all of the intricacies of how Elizabeth Warren did religion. Believe it or not, Warren not only possessed pragmatic mainline sensibilities from her Methodist background, she also used those sensibilities to maneuver... Read more
By Jim Coppoc We’ve all seen the memes. Jesus was a Jewish socialist. Anti-government, common purse, free healthcare for lepers… But is it true? No. Socialism is a 19th century political movement, rooted in Industrial Age class consciousness. Christ worked in a first century idiom of empire, built around the political systems of his day. Socialism would have been as foreign to him as Tetrarchs and Sadducees are to us. But the question of Christ and socialism does bring up... Read more
Sen. Elizabeth Warren is the latest Democrat to argue the Senate filibuster rule stands in the way of passing a progressive agenda, such as meaningful gun control. Should the Senate move even farther toward being a legislative body characterized by majority rule rather than minority obstruction? Read more
Our Twitter accounts are not verified, our Facebook posts do not go viral, and our names are not prominent—but we everyday resisters oppose the president and his accomplices however we can. For the vast and varied champions of the liberal opposition who sometimes feel powerless to make a difference, this pre-midterm pep talk is for you. While some may feel energized in the lead-up to Tuesday, November 6, 2018, it is equally possible to feel dejected in the face of so much ugliness. Read more
Donald Trump's authority model includes profoundly worrying dynamics that scholars identify in cults. The charismatic leader is "essentially a rule of custom or law unto themselves." They can view elements of a rational/legal model of authority as threats to their charismatic authority, and the pressure to conform to them can create a sense of paranoia in the charismatic leader. Read more
I teach Biblical Studies at a small liberal arts college in Birmingham, Alabama. I am a white, middle-aged woman, Christian, married, politically liberal, and a feminist. I am the mother of two teen-aged daughters. I voted for Doug Jones and I ugly-cried tears of joy and relief when he won the U.S. Senate seat on December 12. You should know all these things before you read further; I am not pretending to talk about the Bible, or the white, Christian,... Read more
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