Readers beware: more about evangelical historians and what they talk about (though Trump is coming). Tracey McKenzie wonders as he gears up for another round of posts why I speculated on his first series on Eric Metaxas’ new book, If You Can Keep It, which sounds like it is another example of American exceptionalism. McKenzie goes on to explain what he does as an evangelical historian (who blogs): I am an evangelical Christian, born and raised in the Bible Belt,... Read more
As evangelical historians discuss the merits of regular historians’ opposition to Donald Trump, another religious historian (not sure if Calvin College is evangelical), Kristin Du Mez, has a long piece on the faith of Hilary Clinton (notice how it helps if you can take a swing at Donald Trump): Trump also took the opportunity to question his opponent’s faith. Hillary Clinton, he claimed, had “been in the public eye for years and years,” and yet “we don’t know anything about... Read more
Yes, this has lodged in my craw but I continue to be fascinated and a tad annoyed by the never Trump phenomenon. The most recent iteration comes from historians who teach and write in the United States. When you combine the GOP presidential nominee’s success with what’s happening in Turkey, you (okay I) wonder if historians working in the U.S. might apply their historical perspective to differences between us and the Turks. I understand that some liken the Republican candidate... Read more
A few years ago, Americans watched a protest movement take shape designed at getting rid of Wall Street and the injustices surrounding it. According to one on-line outlet: Occupy Wall Street is a people-powered movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s Financial District, and has spread to over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally. #ows is fighting back against the corrosive power of major banks and multinational corporations... Read more
The expiration date on the Myers Briggs personality test may have passed, but the differences between extroverts and introverts are undeniable. It is also certain that evangelical piety is no respecter of Myers Briggs. Hear Rod Dreher’s account of hanging out with evangelicals: The ethos and the style of the meeting was very Evangelical. To be honest, that made me a little nervous, not for theological reasons, but because the Evangelical style is a poor fit for me. I don’t... Read more
It’s hard to believe only a week ago bloggers were talking about patriotism and the virtues of the American nation. Way back then, Chris Gehrz gave some guidance on the prominence of patriotic songs in Christian hymnals. Among his findings was the following: only seven patriotic songs appear in at least 100 hymnals: “America” (Samuel French Smith, 1832) — 1,685 hymnals “God Bless Our Native Land” (Siegfried A. Mahlmann, 1815) — 595 “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” (Julia Ward... Read more
Matthew J. Hall thinks evangelicals need to break the silence on race and speak out. But before they do, they need to listen: Our evangelical tendency is to tweet/post/speak first, often without the requisite knowledge, and to ask questions later. It might surprise some, but pastors are not always known as the best listeners. Perhaps the best thing you can do to start is to take a humble posture, recognizing that you have a racialized worldview of which you are... Read more
For the biblically challenged, onansim is a synonym for masturbation, Onan being that character in Genesis 38 who paid dearly for the sin of spilling his seed (and we’re not talking Burpee). Because sex is supposed to lead to procreation, the idea of self-stimulation has long been condemned by Christian churches, not to mention the lustful thoughts that generally accompany onanists. So when Pope Francis says the church needs to apologize to gays and lesbians, will he also include all... Read more
Michael Gerson thinks evangelicals have lost their faith in signing up to support Trump (via Tracy McKenzie who agrees): …we are seeing a group focused on the rights and privileges of their own community, rather than the welfare of others — the poor, struggling and vulnerable. Many in that room do wonderful good works. But they have reduced Christian political involvement to a narrow, special interest — and a particularly angry and unattractive one. A powerful source of passion for... Read more
Why so much anguish about the shootings in Orlando but nothing (that I’ve seen so far) about the bombings in Istanbul? Is it possible to adapt these laments in the following ways? Black Lives Matter called America’s attention to the fact that urban violence and police shootings are not randomly distributed, and the movement describes itself as “working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folks’... Read more
Putting the Protest in Protestant
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