In a recent essay by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., called “Our Christian Nation,” he argues Christians should bring the gospel to bear on every aspect of life — society, economy and most especially on government. It’s certainly a thoughtful essay,…
The tangled web of evangelical opposition to abortion while believing in original sin, eternal conscious torment and the mysterious age of accountability
Few topics enflame conservative evangelicalism’s self-righteous ire like the topic of abortion. We’ve all seen social media posts from friends that depict or describe abortion procedures in the most graphically violent ways in order to shock us. Who could possibly…
What does Pelagius have to do with Josh Hawley and white nationalism?
An old idiom, usually attributed to Oscar Wilde, says that irony is wasted on stupid people. But not everyone who fails to appreciate irony is a mindless dolt. Some of them are quite clever, aiming their malformed wit in the…
Naked and ashamed: American Christianity’s purity culture and embodiment in the Church
Purity culture, alive and thriving in church youth groups, argues that Christians should shut down their sex drives and minimize the relationships to their bodies. Research shows the damage being done.
Booing Trump felt good, momentarily: the hidden danger of giving undue attention to evil
The common exhortation of “Don’t look away” reminds us that a lack of vigilance can make us oblivious to the ways in which our political environment can change us for the worse. But an ironic danger lurks beneath the surface.
After creating the universe, God took a nap: Why we need Sabbath rest
Western Christians today have a hard time celebrating Sabbath. That needs to change – for our sakes and for the sake of creation.
Genius hesitates, both in science and religion
In his fantastic little book, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, a kind of primer on modern physics meant for lay readers, Carlo Rovelli tells the story about how in 1905, a 26-year-old graduate student named Albert Einstein published three short…
Christians, guns, and the myth of redemptive violence
“How many more daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts, uncles, cousins, husbands, wives, friends—people created by and in the very image of God—have to die a horrific death before Americans will learn to lay down their guns?”…