Why police ought to support these protests

June 10, 2020 By Fred Clark

Imagine that you’re the center fielder on a baseball team. But in order to save money the team’s management has decided not to hire anyone to play left field or right field. Read more

Redeeming the Nasty 19s

June 4, 2020 By Fred Clark

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“This fellow came here as an alien, and he would play the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” That’s what the mob says in Genesis 19 and it’s exactly what the mob of run amok DC police said to Rahul Dubey. Read more

When police think they’re ‘punishers,’ they cease to be police

June 2, 2020 By Fred Clark

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Punishment is not their job. Their badge doesn’t cover that. Never has, never will. This is not a minor point. Read more

Sir Robert Peel never came to America

June 1, 2020 By Fred Clark

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Police are not soldiers, Sir Robert Peel said. And whenever they act like soldiers, they thereby cease to act like police, which is to say they cease to act legitimately. Read more

The Civil Rights Movement shattered white evangelical identity

May 28, 2020 By Fred Clark

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White evangelicals were not unique in utterly failing the moral test of the Civil Rights Movement. But for white evangelicals, this collapse of moral authority was especially traumatic because it shattered their essential sense of identity. Read more

This ain’t a ‘historical narrative,’ it’s living memory

May 26, 2020 By Fred Clark

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If you want to understand how the religious right rose as a backlash reaction to the Civil Rights Movement, read Randall Balmer. If you want to see what that looks like, in practice, read that David French column. Read more

Snake-handling is unwise, but at least it’s not contagious

May 21, 2020 By Fred Clark

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“We need new ways of thinking about how to live with, and against, ontologies as threatening to our common life as this woman’s is, before she kills us all.” Read more

Mourn with those who mourn

May 20, 2020 By Fred Clark

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“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” — Romans 12:15 Read more

Lord it made me happy, seein’ all those people

May 12, 2020 By Fred Clark

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“If Costco can reopen safely, why not Illinois churches, Gov. Pritzker?” Ed Stetzer asks in a column for Religion News Service. It’s as bad as it sounds. Read more