I have two primary conceptions of the secular in the sense of a space. First, following John Milbank, I think it to be entirely fancied. Ontologically, in a core sense, there is no secular—it doesn’t exist. It had to be imagined. If one is a Christian or believes in the gods of the philosophers/major religions, then they know that God/or ground of all being—is the one, “who is in all places and fills all things.” To believe there is a... Read more
We knew Trump had an authoritarian bent when he first ran for the presidency and from his first four years in office. Each year he was there it became more and more evident. I think it was, partly, simply due to his ignorance and not understanding how our government works, our history, the three parts of our system (executive, legislative, judicial) and so on. Further, he never understood what it meant to be a what they used to call a... Read more
Not only are religious leaders/pastors/theologians learning they are losing members, especially young people, along comes new polling revealing this finding: “Among those who plan to vote for Trump, 71% feel that what he tells them is true — higher than the results for friends and family (63%), conservative media figures (56%) or religious leaders (42%).” With those findings in mind, note this stark fact: Trump is a pathological, serial liar. Even some of his most well known cheerleaders know that.... Read more
Is the currently released movie Sound of Freedom based on a true story? Yes. Is human trafficking in America a significant problem? Yes. Should American law enforcement be doing everything in their power to prevent and stop human trafficking? Yes. If found guilty, should we prosecute those who do such to the fullest extent of the law? Yes. Should we as a society/culture do everything in our power to stop human trafficking? Yes. Do any of the affirmative answers above... Read more
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. -John 13:35 Will people know we are Christians (disciples or followers of Jesus) by our verbalized theological beliefs? Will they know we are Christians by the way we vote? Will they know we are Christians by the church we are members of or attend? Will they know because we “witness” or share our faith? Will they know because we don’t drink, dance,... Read more
We are coming to the end of March, which happens to be Oscar month. For those who care, many gather to watch who wins best picture and the other categories pertinent to movie making. If one is a cinephile, it’s a special month for sure. For those who watch the Turner Classic Movie channel, in March of each year, they run movies that have won best picture throughout the decades. If one has an affinity for the cinematic arts, it’s... Read more
The next bogeyman the leaders of the white fundamentalist-evangelical world are ready to foist upon their flocks and the rest of us is “pluralism.” Such a scary word, right? Like “Critical Race Theory” (CTR), “socialism,” and other things they don’t understand, get ready for “pluralism” to join the long list of things we are supposed to be afraid of, be against, and is a clear sign we are in the Last Days and everything is going to hell in a... Read more
When I read stories like this one, it leads me as a Christian to this question: Who would Jesus serve? In John’s Gospel (John 2) we read that Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding. Pretty cool, right? You know what’s even cooler? He didn’t ask if the people he knew he would be providing this service to, the ones imbibing, were gay. And, for that matter, whether they were…anything. In the other Gospel narratives we read of Jesus... Read more
I want to speak to a certain type of evangelical pastor. This pastor spends a great deal of time in study, reading commentaries, reading their Bible, and preparing their sermons and Bible studies. While they pay attention to pop-culture, what’s new in music, television, movies, sports, and social media, they pay little attention (or none) to politics or the serious conversations surrounding the legal, political, and foreign policy issues discussed in academia or in established media like the New York... Read more
There are times when it is prudent and wise to say things like, “Yes, I agree with you, but I can also see the other side’s points as well—and I think I could go either way here.” Or “Both sides make compelling arguments and I think we need to be careful before we come down on one side or the other.” There are certainly moments when we should sit back, consider all opposing views, and with reflection, counsel, research, fairness/objectivity,... Read more
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