The Civil War began in April 1861 when Fort Sumter (in the harbor of Charleston, S.C.) was attacked by local rebels. Even with all the rhetoric for years, the United States was caught off guard. What became the Confederate States…
There is no Jesus in MAGA
A lot has been written and much more will be written about the times in which we live. This era will be studied with amazement, bewilderment and shaking heads. How could America have elected a twice-impeached convicted felon to another…
‘Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts …’
I continue to try to make sense of living as a Christian in a time when a distressing number of my coreligionists have thrown their support behind a fascist regime that stands against everything I think is good and holy,…
The return of public racism
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., for no discernible reason has claimed the maternal death rate in Louisiana isn’t as bad if you don’t count Black women. According to Cassidy, a medical doctor, the state’s high maternal death rates are more standard…
A reality check on the reach of white Christian nationalism in 7 charts
In the wake of the election of Donald Trump with the strong support of white evangelical and other conservative white Christians, my organization, PRRI, released last week our annual update of the largest ongoing study of Christian nationalism ever conducted….
‘The church of fear is still in effect,’ author says
The fear and rage that drove evangelical support for Donald Trump has not abated since his return to office, journalist and author Christine Emba observed during a webinar on Christianity and democracy hosted by the Brookings Institution. On the contrary,…
MAGA ramps up attacks on US Christian groups
Donald Trump and his allies are widening their attacks on religious groups compassionate toward immigrants, refugees, the poor and LGBTQ people. The Catholic and Episcopal churches have faced the heat from the MAGA movement for some time and are again…
It’s time to become American Nazi hunters
There are Nazis in our midst. Not just Nazi flag-carrying, swastika-wearing, swashbuckling Nazi-saluting members of American neo-Nazi groups, but ordinary Americans who will swear they are not Nazis. It’s now obvious that MAGA has Nazi leanings. Psychologist Keith Payne, in…
Jesus is still woke
Despite the stampede of corporations running away from any identification with diversity, equity and inclusion work, the gospel has not changed. Jesus is still woke. In the Second Coming of Donald Trump, we’re seeing a flood of headlines declaring the…
Circular firing squads are an inevitable pitfall in extremist movements
After spending a better part of the last decade investigating extremism, I have learned one thing is consistent within every movement: circular firing squads. Although the group embraces a common disdain for an external enemy, in-fighting somehow always manages to…
Harsh times offer progressives an opportunity to restore Christianity’s good name
Through deeds of kindness and love, progressive Christians will have a chance to redeem the good name “Christian” during the harsh era to come. This restoration is needed as never before in our lifetimes. But it is not unprecedented. Early…
As long as MAGA evangelicals are in power, sexual ethics will be in exile, but that’s not the end of the story
During Thanksgiving week, I watched two movies: Wicked and Gladiator II. Both movies reminded me of evangelicals up to their television satellites and steeples in secular politics. I watched the citizens of Oz pour into the streets, singing, “The wicked…