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:…
Alyssa Farah Griffin set her MAGA world on fire and now seeks to warn others
It may appear that Alyssa Farah Griffin is on top of the world. Evenings she weighs in on news and politics on CNN. Weekdays she’s one of the female hosts of ABC’s “The View,” TV’s most popular daytime program, which…
Can you hear him now?
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?…