Vice President JD Vance calls himself “pro-life.” At the recent March for Life, he spoke with moral certainty about the sacredness of unborn life, warning that neutrality in the face of vulnerability is a moral failure and insisting a nation…
Trump is who he is; who are you?
America must stop pretending this is about Donald J. Trump. Trump is Trump. Historically, socially, morally, financially and ethically, he already has revealed himself to the nation and the world. Without exaggeration, he stands as the most socially corrosive president…
The hypocrisy of Christian nationalists not feeding the hungry
So let me see if I’ve got this right: According to Christian nationalists, the evangelical church ought to have control over America and run the government strictly by Christian principles. Why, then, are these same people unwilling to follow the…
‘Vertical Morality’ Might Describe Why MAGA Christians Seem So Unchristian
For many Americans, the gap between Christian teachings and MAGA politics is baffling. How can people profess faith in Jesus ― who preached love, mercy and care for the oppressed ― while supporting policies that punish immigrants, demonize LGBTQ people…
When hate masquerades as love
Hate fills the air as “Christian” America fights over values, social issues, race and sex. An increased rage punctuates our communication. Hate crime and hate speech are mutually charged to MAGA and the Democrats. Both sides tear through news reels…
A quiet call to national repentance
Cruelty is a sin. That such a self-evident truth might need to be said out loud never had occurred to me until recently; my own nation’s current campaign of cruelty against migrating people prompting me to say what should go…
No matter how pervasive, resist a ‘new normal’ of cruelty
Cruelty has become a defining characteristic of our politics. It’s a shift that was troubling to many in the psychology community and began long before Donald Trump was elected president. Trump’s public persona is marked by a distinctive meanness. As…
Another stroke of cruelty
The current administration is preparing to destroy $9.7 million in U.S.-purchased contraceptives destined for women overseas following the dismantling of foreign assistance programs under USAID. There is a callous meanness in this action from a “Christian In Name Only” (CINO)…
A less than Christian nation?
And Mary said: God’s name is Holy, his mercy sure from generation to generation toward those who fear him; the deeds his own right arm has done disclose his might: the arrogant of heart and mind God has routed, He…
Now I believe: The cruelty really is the point
I can be slow on the uptake. Back in 2018, the journalist Adam Serwer argued that “the cruelty is the point” for Donald Trump and his supporters. “The Trump era,” Serwer wrote in The Atlantic, “is such a whirlwind of…
Alligator Alcatraz tourism
My wife, Lauren, told me a story once. When she was 16, her mother put her on a plane to Europe. She gave her a peck on the cheek, a few words of encouragement and a credit card. “Have fun,”…
Renewing our baptism in a time of cruelty
This week, Common Dreams reported on the federal budget outline approved with a party-line vote in the House of Representatives, noting: Republican hardliners are also reportedly pursuing changes that could force states to end their Medicaid expansions, which would strip coverage from…