Victoria Barnett, “There’s no such thing as a Bonhoeffer moment”
This letter is a stunning indictment of what Germany had become under Nazi rule. But it also illustrates Bonhoeffer’s profound sense of his obligations to a broader humanity—and to history itself. That, I believe, is his real significance for us today: here was a man who over a period of 12 terrible years reflected with remarkable honesty and poignancy on the nature of the Christian faith and witness in evil times. Although he could not have known the impact his writings and his life would have on future generations, he already had an intuitive sense of what he owed them. “The ultimately responsible question,” he wrote in that 1942 letter, “ is not how I extricate myself heroically from a situation but [how] a coming generation is to go on living.” …
We shouldn’t read Bonhoeffer for superficial sound bites or empty reassurances of larger-than-life heroism. We should read him because his is the story of one decent human being who understood better than any of us that in evil times, we must remain faithful — if only for the sake of future generations, because we are creating for them the foundation from which they can do good in this fallen world.
Jacob Randolph, “John Wayne Rides Again”
When Donald Trump won in 2016, conventional wisdom was that white evangelicals held their noses and voted for the lesser of two evils. But here’s the funny thing about odor: if you spend enough time in a stinky room, your nose will grow accustomed to the stench. Over time, you may get to the point where you don’t smell anything weird at all. Evangelicals in 2024 voted for Donald Trump for a simple reason: they like him. They like his policies. They like his attitude. They like that he’s on their side. The scent has been in their house so long, they don’t smell it anymore. That much is clear. What evangelical influencers can’t abide is the suggestion—framed by the careful critiques of journalists, historians, and sociologists—that perhaps the curious reek isn’t coming from Donald Trump at all; maybe it’s been there all along.
Katelyn Beaty, “Trump’s victory could accelerate women’s departure from evangelicalism”
Aaron Renn, a writer and consultant on urban policy and culture, notes that religion in America is “right-coded,” which is translating into: “Male = conservative = religious; Female = liberal = non-religious.”
He criticises evangelical churches for judging men’s sins more harshly than women’s. He argues that today’s “manosphere” is one of the few places that take men’s and women’s differences seriously and teach men how to attract “high value” women.
Christian leaders who think they can simply mimic this performative masculinity in service of the Gospel are morphing Christianity into something pre-Christian, turning it into another institution that sidelines women. That women, who have long formed the backbone of the local church, are turning away is a canary in the church’s coal mine.
Kristin Kobes Du Mez, “For Our Daughters”
Holly Berkeley Fletcher, “The Departure Lounge”
One group of people who desperately need to get going, in my opinion, are white evangelicals. When it comes to this culture, I have wavered about whether it’s better for good folks to stay and fight or for them to abandon and rebuild. I will still not judge and continue to support those who think the former is possible, but personally, I’m out of optimism. I would urge anyone and everyone in that culture who is troubled and discontented to go ahead and depart. I have come to the sad conclusion that nothing but mass exodus will bring change.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, “Autocracy Means Plunder, in Russia and Beyond”
Plunder is a useful concept to discuss the intentions of autocrats and the tragic outcomes of their actions. Plunder covers the strongman’s obsessive drive to control and exploit bodies, territory, and wealth. Since the avaricious autocrat sees everything and everyone in terms of possession, plunder is key to understanding the organization of autocracy.
Putin’s regime is a case in point. As a kleptocracy, it has institutionalized plunder. Putin’s cronies and enablers take “loans” from state banks and use no-bid procurement, asset stripping, stock manipulation, extortion, and threats to plunder state companies.
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