Psalm 1 opens with a warning that feels hauntingly modern: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.” The verse is not simply about personal morality. It is about influence, power, allegiance and the…
Interfaith leaders call for next steps beyond No Kings Day
The rise of U.S. authoritarianism requires Americans to be deliberate in living their faith, Sojourners founder Jim Wallis said during a webinar hosted by Interfaith Alliance. “Faith has to be strategic. It’s deep in our conviction. It’s in who we…
Abuse isnʼt the result of sin; itʼs the result of omnipotence
What if power abuses are ultimately theological? Clergy abuse is so common, it has become a cliche. The new archbishop of Canterbury was accused of colluding with an abusive priest. In December, a federal judge ordered the New Orleans Archdiocese…
This is a fight ‘for all the marbles,’ Perryman tells democracy advocates
The current battle for democracy in America is a fight “for all the marbles,” Skye Perryman told a crowd of democracy advocates in Washington, D.C., Jan. 29. Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, was the opening speaker for her organization’s two-day…
America’s dangerous double standard in war and law
More than 20 years ago, Queen Padmé Amidala, portrayed by Natalie Portman in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, delivered a line that has aged like prophecy: “So this is how liberty dies — with thunderous applause.”…
Overwhelm the public with muzzle-velocity headlines: A strategy rooted in racism and authoritarianism
The headlines documenting President Donald Trump’s plan to send federal troops to San Francisco followed a familiar arc. “Trump claims ‘unquestioned power’ in vow to send troops to San Francisco,” The Guardian reported on Oct. 20, 2025. The next day, the San Francisco…
Most Americans now see Trump as a dangerous dictator
After months of data collection and analysis, we at PRRI have just released our 16th annual American Values Survey, conducted in partnership with our colleagues E.J. Dionne Jr. and Bill Galston at the Brookings Institution. Amid all the bad news, the new…
Banning abortion is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes
Pregnant women crossing borders to get an abortion. People who miscarry facing jail time or dying from infection. Doctors who won’t perform lifesaving procedures on a pregnant patient for fear of prosecution.
When leaders turn guns on their own people
History teaches us a hard truth: Democracies don’t collapse only when institutions fail — they collapse when leaders turn their weapons on the very people they are sworn to serve. Tanks in the streets, tear gas in the squares, troops…
7 things to do to oppose MAGA authoritarianism
“Time heals all wounds.” That’s the most galactically stupid saying in the English language. It’s like saying, “Time hits all baseballs.” While it takes time for a baseball to get from mound to plate, time doesn’t hit the ball. We…
Deliberately inciting rebellion: The GOP’s latest power play
Earlier this summer I wrote a piece titled “We Are in Dangerous, Uncharted Waters.” It addressed the Los Angeles ICE raids and the military deployment in response to the ensuing protests. I cautioned that the language used by the Trump…
‘No Kings’: The Rise Of Religious Authoritarianism In America
As fascism threatens to rise in America, a “soft theocracy” is already here — a system where particular religious values and beliefs shape public policy without being the official state religion.