The Gender Gap: Women’s Religiosity Continues to Decline

March 8, 2025 By John San Nicolas

There is a growing trend in American religion: women are leaving organized religion. According to data analysts, this trend is quite new. Some point to 2016 or 2018 as its starting point. Given that today is International Women’s Day, I thought it proper to open up the conversation on gender and religion. The data published on this topic has generated massive amounts of discussion. And commentators have offered a variety of explanations for why this trend is happening. Traditionally, women... Read more

American Christianity Is No Longer in Decline

March 2, 2025 By John San Nicolas

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The narrative of decline has a strong hold on American Christians, particularly Protestants. The narrative goes like this. For decades, Christianity has been on the decline in the US. This steady decline indicates that America has given into nihilism, relativism, and has entered an era of post-Christianity. In Nietzschean fashion, believers themselves declare the death of God in American society. I want to argue that this narrative is untrue. Christianity is not declining any longer, nor has it declined enough... Read more

Romans 13:1 and the Martyrdom of St. Polycarp

February 9, 2025 By John San Nicolas

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Romans 13 is an often cited passage when Christians think about faith and politics. The very first verse of the chapter reads: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God (Romans 13:1, ESV). As St. Paul argues in his epistle to the Roman church, whoever disobeys these authorities disobeys God. Government is intended to encourage the doing of good and punish those... Read more

Was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a Heretic?

January 19, 2025 By John San Nicolas

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I’ve been wanting to write this article for a couple of years. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is a widely misunderstood figure in American history. Dominant histories cast King as a moderate, passive, colorblind peacemaker. Today, we will not consider ourselves so much with the “historical King,” if I may. Rather, we will address the surging accusations that King was a heretic. I first saw this claim leveled by a former colleague of mine, and our collegiality ended sometime after.... Read more

Mexican Humanism and Liberation Theology

January 18, 2025 By John San Nicolas

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Mexico’s first woman president, Claudia Sheinbaum, delivered an address in Mexico City on January 13. Sheinbaum’s speech centered on the international relationships between Mexico, the US, and Canada. Sheinbaum assured the nation that Mexico will continue the political project developed by former president Armando Manuel López Obrador: la Cuarta Transformación (the Fourth Transformation). Part of this transformation is what Sheinbaum called Mexican humanism. We examine one of the core tenets of this model of humanism: “por el bien de todos,... Read more

Christian Theology Rejects Violence… Except for James Cone

January 5, 2025 By John San Nicolas

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From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Stanley Hauerwas, Christian theologians reject violence as a dogma of Christian social engagement. Indeed, there are several denominations that have enshrined nonviolence (or Christian pacifism) in their distinctives, formally or informally. The Mennonites, the Amish, and other Anabaptist traditions are prime examples of this. But those familiar with history will know that there have been many Christians (who apologists are likely to euphemize as “people who claimed to be Christian”) who enacted violence... Read more

O Holy Night and Political Theology

December 24, 2024 By John San Nicolas

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O Holy Night is an indisputable Christmas classic. It is one of those songs which awakens a sense of peace, solemnity, and dozing by the fireplace. And like all pieces of great art, its lyrics and melody are better known than its story and meaning. It feels like I experience Christmas differently each year. The Christian calendar seems to be designed that way. Our lives are constantly shaped by the Word and the world. This constant flux reorients and reforms... Read more

Quick Violence vs. Slow Violence: Luigi Mangione

December 16, 2024 By John San Nicolas

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This article follows the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The murderer, Luigi Mangione, has received condemnation from the corporate media, Ben Shapiro, and some of the American public. Mangione, however, has more broadly received sympathy, tacit approval, and even celebration from most of the American people. For those curious as to why, or for those strongly disgusted by this approval of violence, we set out in this article to explain the underpinnings of Mangione’s support. How could people... Read more

Nancy Mace Tries to Ban Trans Women from Women’s Bathrooms

November 21, 2024 By John San Nicolas

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This week, another cultural hot-button issue went viral in American politics. Should trans women be able to use cis women’s bathrooms? This question entered the national spotlight when one representative, Nancy Mace, brought the issue to the House. McBride was recently elected as Delaware’s representative (Delaware only gets one). This makes her the first openly transgender person to be elected to the US Congress. Rachel Levine, assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services, made similar... Read more