"We've got the American Jesus Bolstering national faith We've got the American Jesus Overwhelming millions every day." – Bad Religion, "American Jesus," Recipe for Hate (1993) Some Reflections for Independence Day, July 4, 2018 Yesterday, Mandy Nicole, founder and editor-in-chief of Fundamentally Free, a multi-author ex-evangelical blog, published a piece called "Evangelicalism Killed my Patriotism." She notes the presence … Continue reading Happy 4th? On the Complicated Problem of Patriotism in Conditions of Injustice
Authoritarian Christianity, or, what Franklin Graham Really Means when he Equates Progressivism with Godlessness
In a recent New York Times piece by Elizabeth Dias, President and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse Franklin Graham is quoted as defining "progressive" as "just another word for godless." This language might strike some readers as mere hyperbole, or as a polemical swipe at political opponents meant perhaps to be … Continue reading Authoritarian Christianity, or, what Franklin Graham Really Means when he Equates Progressivism with Godlessness
Let’s Make the Most of the #MercerCulpa
Thanks to a deluge of important commentary about the fate of DACA and Dreamers amid the failure of an immigration deal, news about the horrific Parkland, FL school shooting, and news about special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling and Trump team collusion, Rebekah Mercer's godawful gaslighting op-ed has not generated as much … Continue reading Let’s Make the Most of the #MercerCulpa
#EmptyThePews – If You Attend a Trumpist Church, it’s Time to Leave in Protest
Two days ago, #IllegitimatePresident's economic advisory councils dissolved amid an exodus of CEOs unwilling to be associated with Trump's refusal to unambiguously condemn white supremacy in the wake of white nationalist terrorism in Charlottesville. (By the way, if you have not watched footage of the Nazis chanting "blood and soil" and describing their goals in their own … Continue reading #EmptyThePews – If You Attend a Trumpist Church, it’s Time to Leave in Protest
The Rundown on Jay Sekulow, Veteran Christian Right Lawyer Now on Trump’s Legal Team
The news recently broke that Jay Alan Sekulow, chief counsel for the far Right American Center for Law and Justice, is a member of Trump's legal team. This should give us pause for a number of reasons. The ACLJ is one of the most effective Christian Right legal advocacy organizations, and it plays an important … Continue reading The Rundown on Jay Sekulow, Veteran Christian Right Lawyer Now on Trump’s Legal Team
Educated Evangelicals, Academic Achievement, and Trumpism: On the Tensions in Valuing Education in an Anti-Intellectual Subculture
Authority First: The Enclave Strikes Back "I sat in the waiting room wasting my time, and waiting for Judgment Day. I praise liberty, the freedom to obey." - Green Day, "21st Century Breakdown," 21st Century Breakdown (2009) Fundamentalists force an inhumane choice on reflective, empathetic individuals who grow up in their enclave communities: assent that 2 + 2 … Continue reading Educated Evangelicals, Academic Achievement, and Trumpism: On the Tensions in Valuing Education in an Anti-Intellectual Subculture
#ChristianAltFacts, or, how the Christian Right Broke America
Christopher Douglas's article "The Religious Origins of Fake News and 'Alternative Facts,'" published yesterday on Religion Dispatches, is a must read for anyone who wants to understand why and how America's asymmetric polarization--polarization from the Right--has led to Trumpism. You cannot understand this apart from the theocratic element and the relationship between fundamentalist psychology and … Continue reading #ChristianAltFacts, or, how the Christian Right Broke America
Not Your Mission Field 