Throughout most of the 2000s, Americans grew accustomed to an ever-present ad campaign with the tagline, “Can you hear me now?” Actor-pitchman Paul Marcarelli showed up all over the place, boasting of the reach of Verizon Wireless service where other…
Tomorrow, Supreme Court hears arguments on barring Trump from ballots
On Thursday, Feb. 8, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on a simple question with profound historical consequences: “Did the Colorado Supreme Court err in ordering President Trump excluded from the 2024 presidential primary ballot?” Colorado’s justices ruled in…
Marking a century on Capitol Hill, the United Methodist Building guards against political violence
The United Methodist Church’s premier edifice has stood for 100 years as a symbol of Christian social witness for peace and justice in the U.S. capital city. Now as they mark its centennial, trustees and tenants of the United Methodist…
Trump’s Groundhog Day, the insurrection that refuses to stop
I planned to write this essay about January 6 as an anniversary piece. Because I am a public speech teacher, it has felt particularly cruel for conservatives to deny what happened on that dark day. When Donald Trump Jr. sarcastically…
Are we in the Lord’s army? Crusading mentality persists from medieval times to today
Centuries after the Crusades, many American Christians still feel the urge to fight for power, control and dominion over what they believe is God’s country. But with a Constitution that protects religious freedom, what are modern crusaders really fighting for?…
‘A failure of imagination would be fatal to democracy’
On Jan. 6, 2021, “a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked” by ground forces loyal to then-President Donald Trump. They interrupted the constitutionally required certification of electoral votes from the…
Silence is not an option for the church on January 6
The church should not remain silent when January 6 rolls around. It was an insurrection. It was incited. It was planned. It was intended. It was a response to a dastardly lie. Trump did lose. Biden did win. People did…
A call for immoderate mediators: David Gushee defends democracy from its Christian enemies
Like just about everybody these days, David Gushee is worried about the survival of democracy. His latest book, Defending Democracy from its Christian Enemies, addresses the problem of democratic “backsliding” or “deconsolidation.” As his title suggests, he calls out Christians…
New speaker of the House releases select January 6 footage to allow Christians and conservatives to change the narrative
Days after House speaker Mike Johnson, a conservative Christian who says he is guided by the Bible, started releasing security camera footage from the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump, Trump supporters…