I first became aware of far-right Christians co-opting the Book of Esther for political ends when I heard the extremist group Moms for Liberty use Esther 4:14 as its slogan. Since then, the phrase “for such a time as this”…
Abortion, immigration and January 6: Christians from both sides react to VP debate
While Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate between Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was a notably civil and issue-focused affair, Christian supporters rallied online for their preferred candidates and, more often, attacked the opposing candidate. The debate…
Anthea Butler explains the Catholic version of Christian nationalism
While much of the discussion about Christian nationalism focuses on white evangelical Christians, there’s a parallel and equally dangerous movement in Catholicism, Anthea Butler told a group of journalists and scholars Sept. 10. Butler, professor of American social thought at…
NAR prophets still declaring Trump is God’s man, scholar warns
Among the most ardent Christian nationalists today is a subgroup most Americans are not aware of but that is having an outsized influence on conservative politics and culture. That group, the New Apostolic Reformation, is a focus of research done…
What if everyone forgets?
Remember Tiananmen Square? I was reminded of those halcyon and tragic days last week when I ran across an article in the New York Review of Books from May 20, 2014. It marked the 25th anniversary of that fervent outbreak…
Your guide to the Supreme Court’s upcoming blockbuster decisions
The United States Supreme Court is poised to issue decisions soon on a blockbuster list of important issues that could impact nearly every American, including abortion, the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, guns, homeless people, and social media…
Alito lacks key quality for Supreme Court justices
Mired once again in a scandal of his own making, Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. has been found lacking in one of the most important traits for judges at any level, that of an acceptable judicial temperament….
Justice Alito and Marjorie Greene desecrate Memorial Day
Not since The Big Bang’s Sheldon did his “Fun with Flags” segment have flags been flapping so loudly in the news. There’s been the racist binge from the right about athletes not standing for the National Anthem and the flag….
Former terrorism official exposes threat of Christian extremism
The 9/11 attacks on the United States revealed Elizabeth Neumann’s first calling: to protect the nation from religious extremists “over there” through counterterrorism work in George W. Bush’s administration. The 1/6 attack on the U.S. Capitol inspired her current calling:…