On a recent road trip to through the South, I saw a series of billboards with religious message. These billboards were clearly part of a single theological viewpoint. And that theological viewpoint is terrible.
The Shitty Theology Along I-95
To Nobly Save the Last, Best Hope
Today is a tragic day in the history of our republic. We have witnessed an assault on the rule of law and on the hallowed traditions of our democracy. It is a violence rooted in ignorance and fear, and driven by hate, racism, and White Supremacy. Such violence and lawlessness must be denounced and opposed. And it must also be countered by providing a foundation greater than hate and ignorance, violence and lawlessness.
Nobody Dies Anymore
At the heart of all euphemisms is a desire to avoid a painful reality. But here's the thing: it doesn't help. Indeed, it may actually make the problem of grief worse. But honesty is not only for the sake of those who mourn. Honesty about death is the only way to speak meaningfully about life.
The United States of Aspiration
It is sometimes assumed that those who would critique their country have no stomach for patriotic displays like the Fourth of July. And to be fair, it is hard to overlook Frederick Douglass’ scathing indictment of American hypocrisy in “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” But perhaps it is in this very tension between the already and the not-yet that true patriotic observance can take place. Neither the rah-rah “We’re #1!” cry of the jingoist nor the sentimental rosy-colored view of the US as the haven of true liberty and freedom, but the deeper patriotism that remembers the best of what we can be, and in love, calls us to be better than we are.
The Gospel Is Inherently Political
Religions that are simply about otherworldly salvation, that are about perfecting one's inner self, that are about humble acceptance of the ills of the world—those are perfectly compatible with the status quo. And the Empire will never suppress a religion that supports the status quo.
The Fault Is in Our Grammars: Language, Gender, and Pronouns
The language is changing. As fast as our changing cultural awareness will allow. But when the change requires reworking our linguistic understanding, it can take a lot longer to set in than does the understanding that some men do, in fact, have uteruses.
Did Jesus “Define” Marriage?
The definition of marriage is one of the questions at the heart of the debate in contemporary Christianity about whether same-sex marriages should be affirmed by the church. In this debate, you’ll often hear those with more conservative positions on the question argue that same-sex marriage violates the “definition” of marriage given by Jesus, who…
Why Die Hard Isn’t a Christmas Movie and Children of Men Is
Every year at this time the internet once again tackles the pressing question: Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? I remember the first time I heard this question, the answer was so self-evident in my mind: of course it's not a Christmas movie. But a lot of people argue that it is—including most of the young adult…
The Desolating Sacrilege
In the apocalyptic vision found in the biblical Book of Daniel, mention is made of a "contemptible person" who arises through deceit and intrigue to take power. In the exercise of his power he persecutes and afflicts the faithful, armed forces occupy and profane the holy temple, and they perform a "desolating sacrilege" that renders the…
A Prayer for Our Republic
Civility doesn't make community; it flows from a shared sense of community.
A Christian Country or a Country of Christians?
A “Christian country” is not achieved simply by having every last citizen purport to be a Christian. Nor is it achieved by narrow legislative victories in one policy realm or another. If a “Christian country” were even possible, it would be as a nation that sought to live out the most deeply embedded values of what it means to be a Christian...
The War on Christmas (2015 Starbucks Edition)
If there was a War on Christmas, it was won so decisively and so completely that nary a single shot was fired back. The business world has defined the holiday. Now, when people talk about Christmas, they do it on the terms that the retailers have set.