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A New Book Argues That This ‘Divine Institution’ is the Key to Understanding White Evangelical Culture

By Seth Dowland

…2008, a group of 20-something white professionals gathered to discuss Mark 10:21-25. In this famous parable, Jesus instructs a rich man to sell all that he has and give it to the poor. The rich man dejectedly walks away, unwilling to comply. Jesus tells his disciples—in words many Christians can recite by heart—“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The Divine Institu…

The Key to Understanding Trump and His Christian Enablers

By Daniel Schultz

…ith these theological assertions, of course. The point is that the nihilism-on-meth displayed in the Trump years doesn’t line up with the stated Christian beliefs of many of its practitioners. Not for the usual reasons given about liberal Jesus commanding us to be kind to the poor, the widow, and the orphan, but because Christian faith involves a sweep of purpose and meaning far beyond seeking power for no better end than to stay on top of the soc…

Why Immigration is Such a Key Motivator of Nationalist Aggression and Hostility

By Willie Young

…of anything perceived to be other or different; to maintain unity and self-control requires the denigration and destruction of that which evokes shame. Thus, such a nationalist body must continually evoke that which is threatening and fearful. In Hindu nationalism, this primarily takes the form of anti-Muslim sentiment. Despite their long standing presence, Muslims are depicted as outsiders who are loyal to Mecca and not to Hindustan, and as keep…

Gambian Leaders Portray Anti-Gay Law as Defense of Islam, Ugandan Politicians as ‘Christmas Gift’; Global LGBT Recap

By Peter Montgomery

…aboo. Since then a growing acceptance of gays and lesbians has arrived hand-in-hand with a flourishing economy.” But it’s not just him. In what the Polish media are calling “the Biedron effect,” a record number of candidates also came out publicly before the local elections, which took place in two rounds over the last two weeks. None of the others won seats, but gay rights activists are still hugely encouraged by the change. Their poor showing ca…

Prosperity Gospel Is Not the Only Problem with Joel Osteen’s Harvey Response

By Brie Loskota and Peter Gudaitis

…ts hard, people often turn to religion and spirituality. To not have a call-to-action or guidance makes the whole operation feel morally bankrupt. Accurate or not, any action the church takes now looks like Osteen’s attempt to save face rather than moral leadership and conviction in the face of a crisis. Despite its size and public image, Lakewood Church is not all that unique. Unleveraged assets exist within congregations of all faith traditions…

The Fire This Time

By Anthea Butler

…holarship done this summer. Meanwhile, I try to hold it together to write a 800-word piece without crying and wanting to tear my hair out about the pain of my people. I’m not writing prophetic words to you anymore. You fix this shit. I’m done carrying the cross of America, its false promises of democracy and inclusion, the documents that excluded me and called my ancestors three-fifths of a person. You figure it out. I’m about comforting Black peo…

The March for Life: Grassroots Movement or Agitprop?

By Patricia Miller

…ote that the march is hardly some spontaneous outpouring of grassroots anti-abortion opposition. Since its start in 1974, the March for Life has relied heavily on Catholic and evangelical students bused en masse in from elementary and high schools and students from pro-life college organizations. In fact, turnout at the march was notably scarce last year when a snowstorm stranded buses full of students on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The March for L…

Normalization is Control: Telling Stories to Survive

By Mariam Durrani

…for myself, my family, and colleagues. So I’ve been trying to draft a short 800-word article for Religion Dispatches, as my attempt to make sense of this current moment, not because I chose this as an anthropological project, but here I am. Here I am listening to Trump’s transition team drop words like Muslim registry or that there is a precedent for internment camps in American history. The news that the KKK has been dropping their newsletter off…

Why I Wrote the Freedom Seder And Why It’s Still Necessary 50 Years After Dr. King’s Assassination

By Arthur Waskow

…1967, at the Pentagon; cruising D.C. streets in a sound truck (with my four-year-old son beside me), to turn out votes for Bobby Kennedy in 1968. On the evening of April 3, Dr. King spoke to a crowd in Memphis: “I’ve been to the mountaintop… And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!” Echoes of Moses. By the next night, he was dead. By noon the…

Clergy May Soon Find Taxes Soaring As Result of an Under-the-Radar Ruling

By Patrick Hornbeck

…eir ministers with housing directly, since Crabb’s ruling leaves subsection 107(1) intact. But that’s an option that less well-endowed congregations, which already struggle to meet the financial needs of ministers and their families, will almost certainly find unfeasible. Will lay leaders shrug their shoulders and remind their ministers that the only certainties in life are death and taxes? Or will they find the resources to “top up” ministers’ sa…