This week my husband and I watched the last episode of Derry Girls. I had watched most of the series when it first came out, but somehow, I had missed this fictionalization of one Northern Ireland family’s participation in the ratification of the Good Friday Agreement. Because it is also serendipitously 25 years this week since the Agreement was signed, I began to think about the way in which the Good Friday Agreement reflected the general mood of the 1990s.... Read more
Over the next few Sundays, churchgoers are going to hear a lot about the journey to Emmaus, one of the most moving and evocative stories in the gospels. But dare I say that it is often preached with a basic misunderstanding? I am absolutely not the first person to point this out, but the myth I am describing is very resilient. The story, from Luke 24.13-35, is well known. Two disciples are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Jesus approaches and... Read more
At a conference a few weeks ago, in a keynote on medieval cosmologies, the keynote speaker referenced a letter from Bernard of Clairvaux. This letter from the well-known medieval theologian and monk was written to the bishop of a wayward canon, Philip. Philip had been sent by Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln, on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. However, he never made it (to the Jerusalem his bishop sent him to, at least!) Bernard’s letter explained why: “Your Philip, wishing to go... Read more
During the month of April at the Anxious Bench, a number of our columnists are participating in a joint collaboration with the AACC (Asian American Christian Collaborative) to draw attention to the history of gun violence in the United States. Since the shootings in Buffalo, Laguna Woods, and Uvalde, the AACC has been a crucial Christian organization that is actively pursuing advocacy and policy efforts to address gun violence in the United States, and the Anxious Bench is proud to partner with... Read more
Deerfield was attacked on February 29, 1704 during Queen Anne’s War. Four dozen French soldiers and seven score Mohawk Indians assailed the town. Over 140 Deerfield inhabitants were taken captive and put upon a forced march to Fort Chambly in Canada. One cause for the attack included an attempt to take captive into the wilderness the minister of Deerfield, John Williams, who might be exchanged for coveted captives the French wished released from the English during Queen Anne’s War. A... Read more
It’s fair to say that most Christians are respectfully aware of the Talmud as something that exists somewhere out there, and they know that it has a sacred quality for Jews, but is not something that they themselves are likely to approach – nor do they have any great idea what it might contain. The same is true of the larger body of rabbinic writing and scholarship – the Mishnah, Midrashic interpretations, legal Halakhah, mystical Qabala, This post is not... Read more
The Genesis of Gender by Abigail Favale articulates a version of sexual difference egalitarianism. This is a project I deeply believe in. It’s also one of the most controversial books I’ve read lately. So when Current asked me to review it, I was in. Here is a taste: More authors should emulate Abigail Favale’s approach to writing philosophy. The Genesis of Gender: A Christian Theory is a philosophy of sex, and sex is always interesting. But a certain type of... Read more
The story has been repeated so many times that it’s now one of the most familiar in the history of white evangelical politics. It goes like this: White evangelicals voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976 because they were convinced that the born-again Southern Baptist deacon was one of their own. Sometime between 1977 and 1980, they decided that something – maybe abortion, gay rights, the Equal Rights Amendment, “secular humanism,” or an IRS civil rights directive that would affect Christian... Read more
The number of religiously unaffiliated people has risen significantly over the past few decades, a fact that has been the focus of much commentary and collective handwringing about the future of religion and the impact of non-affiliation on civic engagement, pluralism, and American democracy. But non-religious people themselves have received comparatively less consideration in both religious studies scholarship and the public discourse. Who are these “religious nones,” and how have they navigated their decision to be non-religious in the... Read more
Occasionally when I speak and write on race, someone will ask what I think about reparations. Since I now try to be very consistent in narrating the history of race as a history of greed and exploitation, my answer to whether or not we should seek/advocate for reparations is probably pretty obvious: as a moral question, “yes” is the only proper response. I’m sure there are some folks willing to argue about whether or not they are appropriate, but I... Read more
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