by Janine Giordano Drake A few weeks ago, as my ELCA Lutheran church was reciting the Apostles Creed–like we always do– on a cloudy Sunday morning, the woman next to me in the pew loudly offered a protest. Instead of professing faith in the “Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, and the forgiveness of sins” like it was written in the church bulletin, she changed “catholic” to “Christian.” We were in an unmistakably Lutheran Church, but... Read more
My forthcoming book Kingdoms of This World: How Empires Have Made and Remade Religions (Baylor University Press, 2024) focuses on the history of empires, and specifically their religious dimensions. In this present post, I will pursue that theme in the context of US empire through history. That idea of empire has become a very potent – indeed central – theme in the writing of American history over the past couple of decades. Even so, a lot remains to be said... Read more
I hail from a very well-traveled family. I spent ages 3 months to two-and-a-half years in Paris, France. (Tragically, I speak very little French as we moved there from Texas before either parent could master the language.) Before that, my parents lived in England for a time. My brother has lived in Japan, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, and Jordan. I have only lived in France and the U.S., but in my (later) youth I traveled not only back to... Read more
As the slow pace of economic recovery left many people discontent, it looked like the Democratic president would face a demagogic, authoritarian-minded populist challenger in his bid for reelection. Millions of people were angry with democratic liberalism and were looking for more radical solutions. There was also international unrest. A European dictator had just invaded another country for no apparent reason – but few Americans had any desire to help. The United States didn’t need to get involved in other... Read more
A blast of arctic air hit much of the United States last week and brought snow, wind, and intense cold to much of the country. It was so cold that Republican presidential candidates worried that Iowans wouldn’t show up for the Republican caucuses, held on a day when wind chills were 40 degrees below zero. It was so cold that at the NFL playoff game between the Chiefs and the Dolphins—the fourth coldest game in NFL history—the Kansas... Read more
In 1602, the Italian painter Caravaggio completed one of the most moving paintings of the early Baroque period, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas. The subject matter was common enough. The image depicts the apostle Thomas meeting the risen Christ in John’s Gospel. Thomas, upon hearing the news that Christ had risen from the dead, fearing it too good to be true. “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands,” Thomas said, “and put my finger in his... Read more
Whatever be historical Christianity, it is not Protestantism. If ever there were a safe truth, it is this. … To be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant. Well, that is an explosive sentiment if ever there was one. I’ll come back to that quote shortly – it’s from Cardinal Newman – but let me explain why I ran up against this issue quite recently. I faced a challenging question in an Episcopal church group aimed at... Read more
One of America’s greatest poets and bards, Billy Joel, told us only the good die young. I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the good and about dying young. This was triggered, you might say, by two events. Last semester, I had a fascinating conversation with one of my favorite professors about dying young. Many figures in the 19th century died young and often not in the ways one might expect. Nearly every person of color in the period... Read more
Christian liturgical practices have remained constant as much as they have changed. As early as the first century, we have a ‘manual’ of sorts, the Didache, which teaches Christians how to perform basic Christian rites and practices such as the eucharist, baptism, fasting, prayer, and ordination. Importantly, these practices not only take on a unique importance in different periods, but also take on unique forms. For instance, the way in which one should be baptized is discussed in the Didache:... Read more
If the last eight years have shown anything, they’ve shown that the media, academics, religious leaders, and think tanks can collectively render Donald Trump profane, but they cannot make him less popular. Still, they try. Theologian Wayne Grudem, over on the Christian Post, offers ten reasons to vote for Ron DeSantis, one of which is: “Trump fatigue.” Over at Christianity Today, at this late hour (8pm CT), the leading story is still a piece that asks whether another influential Iowan... Read more
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