Category: Faith and Life
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Enslaved to Civic Freedom
‘Freedom’ is a common and hackneyed word on the lips of so-called ‘Christian nationalists‘.1 It echoes from pulpits. It simmers on social media. It entitles a rock-star worship leader like Sean Feucht to wander the United States like a patriot missionary, preaching the good news of civic freedom to his groupies, and singing a few…
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‘Christian Nationalism’ Isn’t Christian
When Rocky Balboa defeated the juiced Russian monster, Ivan Drago, on his home turf, my young heart was stirred. Vengeance for Apollo! And when he drew a standing ovation from the entire Politburo with his “everybody can change” speech, I shed tears. Red, white and blue tears. Take that, Soviets! Now, years later, it turns…
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Submission to All, Allegiance to None
Submission can be painful and humbling. When Steve What’s-His-Name kicked my ass back in the fifth grade, pulling my jacket over my head hockey-style and twisting my arm behind my back until I submitted, I won’t lie and say it didn’t sting my pride. Likewise, when writers like Peter and Paul entreat their audiences to…
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The Biggest Relativists of All
Be on your guard, they warned me. A new danger was rising, they warned me. Christianity itself was about to face its greatest existential threat, they warned me. With imprecations like these, some of my evangelical leaders warned me about insidious villains emerging from the dark realm to destroy the very fabric of faith. These…
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We’re Not the Heroes
Scripture so often champions the poor, powerless and oppressed. But we’re not the poor and we’re not the oppressed; we’re the privileged and affluential.
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Joe, Donald, Daniel, Dragons, Doom and Dispensationalism
Sure, there are conspiracies out there. The travesty of hot dogs sold in packs of eight and buns in packs of six – forcing you to buy 3 packs of hotdogs and 4 packs of buns to balance the equation – is well documented. Just another way ‘Big Sausage’ and ‘Big Bakery’ conspire against us….
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Is This the Moment?
This is the moment, I guess. Well, not precisely this moment. At the present moment, we’ll pay respects and acknowledge (I hope) the passing of an extraordinary woman. Sure, the usual assortment of trolls will no doubt emerge from under their bridges to ooze vitriol toward Ruth Bader Ginsberg onto their Twitter feeds. But I…
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A Better Party?
Yesterday, I watched former President Obama’s speech to the Democratic National Convention. And I found myself bemused in the early goings. President Obama waxed eloquently about the “North Star that would guide future generations…to better realise our highest ideals” which was “embedded” in our great Constitution. Yes, admittedly, that holy document didn’t stop power from…
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White Evangelicals: It’s Time to Own Our Choices
We white American Evangelicals should take responsibility for the situation we’ve fostered and the president we’ve enabled.
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Hope Less?
To put it in the most raw and unvarnished terms, watching this shitshow leaves a flat, cynical sensation where hope used to be. But I want to put my rally cap back on.