New Book by Olivier Roy Argues that Aggressive Attempts to Christianize the West Actually Hasten Secularism
How completely de-Christianized and secularized has Western Europe become? Data from the EU tell a…
Read More
Is Bill Barr’s Belief in a Powerful President Actually Religious? A ‘High Papal’ Fable
A new book aims to show how Christianity continues to shape the West in unseen ways. But one scholar believes a more accurate summary of the argument is that modern secular society is actually saturated in a deep Roman Catholic ethos, which notably includes the doctrine of strong papal authority.
Read More
The Myth of the ‘Lone Wolf’ Shooter Blinds Us to the Reality of White Supremacy
Thinking of these killers as “lone wolf” actors makes it easier to dismiss them as demented individuals, hapless victims of bad parenting, self-destructive misfits, or erratic evil doers. But we need to see these “lone wolf” white supremacists for what they are—members of “wolf packs.”
Read More
The Theology That Inspired the Poway Synagogue Shooting (and New Zealand) Remains Strikingly Commonplace
Concerned as we rightly are about the immediate human cost of Lori Gilbert Kaye’s awful murder and the trauma inflicted on the Poway and national Jewish communities, hardly anyone has delved into the theological causes behind Earnest’s actions, as confused as they may be.
Read More
Whether We Call White Nationalism ‘Christian’ Is All About Who Gets to Define Christianity
The question of the “Christian” nature of Tarrant’s terrorism cannot be answered by appeal to a neutral umpire or standard. Hard as it may be to accept, I do not think a single, uncontested, objective yardstick exists against which to measure the “Christian” character of his act. What is “Christian” is—and always has been—TBD.
Read MoreWith Kurdish Genocide a Real Danger, How Ethical Was Mattis’ Resignation?
Someone like Mattis may have imagined that his quiet resignation would save both his honor and conscience. But such a conventionally dignified resignation may have put both at risk.
Read MoreWithout Judgement Day or Karma How Does a Humanist Confront ‘Trump Funk’?
For those confident in the coming of Judgment Day or in the frictionless workings out of karma, there is naught to be done but wait for history to unfold its glorious purposes.
Read More
Without Judgment Day or Karma How Does a Humanist Confront ‘Trump Funk’?
Like all progressives, Trump’s victory in 2016 sent me into a funk. Now, as the…
Read More
In Praise of Failure: Is Defining Religion Such a Good Idea?
Recently, the New York Times’ religion writer appeared to throw up his hands in despair at…
Read More
The Surprising Origins of (and Problem with) the Vatican’s View of Sex and Gender
Does God really work in such mysterious ways? Or, is it only the theologians who do?
Read More