Scholars Upset With ‘1619 Project’ Must Abandon Vision of ‘America the Righteous’
Living at a time when every day brings fresh horrors, and living as well through various…
Read More
Yes, Virginia: There IS a War on Christmas: Its Revolutionary Meaning is Inverted in the Winner-Take-All Era
I have gradually been catching some holiday spirit. I am feeling a fair amount of…
Read More
Progressive Christian Arrogance Isn’t as Big a Threat as ‘Just Be Nice’
A recent opinion piece scolds fellow progressive Christians who suffer from an inability to invite a “healthy dialogue” on controversial issues. There’s certainly some truth to that, but there’s a far more consequential problem in progressive Christian circles.
Read More
Almost-Blockbuster Netflix Series ‘The Family’ Exposes a Christian Network Whose God Is Power
Homophobia, misogyny, and contempt for the poor are so very much taken for granted and accepted as “Christian” within The Family that its principals are able to say, with a perfectly straight face, that they have no political agenda when they support and subsidize authoritarian leaders around the world who exemplify and implement these hatreds.
Read More
Biden’s New ‘Restore the Soul of a Nation’ Ad Aimed at Black Voters Wary of the Frontrunner’s Dodgy History
Given that he has such a very long record in public life (a history that includes his association with segregationist legislators, attacks on school busing, and his shameless treatment of Anita Hill), Joe Biden is just about the last person who should be talking about fighting for the soul of the nation.
Read MoreAfter More Mass Shootings It’s Time to Call Out White Supremacy in the Pews
I’m a preacher and I can say with near certainty that 99% of the sermons preached yesterday morning didn’t get close to the level of truth-telling that’s needed. Nor will the compulsory “thoughts and prayers” pronouncements, nor the words spoken at memorial services over the next days and weeks.
Read MoreHow Biblical ‘Chosenness’ Has Justified Violence, Misogyny, and Anti-Immigrant Sentiment
Bible scholar Michael Coogan’s new book examines the dangers associated with the biblical concept of chosenness, which has its fingerprints on everything from the genocidal treatment of indigenous peoples to the idea that women, when thought by believers to have been created as mere vessels for reproduction, may be treated in the manner of brood cattle.
Read MorePastor David Brooks, Your Sermons Are Growing Stale…
The ‘trustees of the First Church of American Religion’ express concern over the approach of Times columnist David Brooks: You place religious practice and affiliation in the category of palliative resources for those being crushed by the new ruthless economy, whereas the religion usually referred to as prophetic—a form of religion we still regard as indispensable—sees faith as much more than a kind of backstop for those who suffer.
Read MoreWith Methodist LGBTQ Vote and GOP Support for Trump, White Protestantism Has Hit Bottom
But by now it is painfully clear that far too many white Protestants are willing to throw both law and reason overboard for the sake of preserving straight white male supremacy.
Read MoreIs the Decline of Religion the Decline of Generosity?
Sure, religious households give more money away than unaffiliated households. But do they ever question why poverty and hunger and homelessness continue to soar in this supposedly “rich” country?
Read More