Oliver North sold weapons to terrorists so that he could make money to give to a different set of terrorists. And he's still lying about it. 13,200 is a bigger number than 11,952 -- unless you're doing partisan arithmetic. Plus: Conversations about reconciliation, godless God-haters and signs of spring. Read more
Justin Lee teams up with Audrey Hepburn. A Tennessee pastor says he has nothing but love for the people he refuses to allow to marry. And Henry Farrell says that bigotry rooted in perceived religious mandates may be marginally less obnoxious than bigotry rooted in personal animus but it's still, you know, bigotry. Read more
"Rejoice with those who rejoice" is a Christian commandment. It's also a corollary to Rule No. 1. Denying cake violates that commandment and that rule. Read more
Imagine a world in which the stuff Pat Robertson says was actually true. Galifianakisgate. The religious liberty to beat infants with wooden spoons. Religious right groups claim that Thin Mints, Do-si-dos are abortifacients. Mike Huckabee briefly stops slut-shaming in order to praise himself for being chivalrous. Read more
If some shimmering person outside the tribe says even the most vacuous or ambiguous thing that can be spun positively, it will be seized upon and claimed as an affirmation of the tribe and all its values. If some upstart within the tribe says the identical statement, it will be interpreted in the most hostile light so that the speaker can be condemned as someone who opposes the tribe and its values. Read more
If cherubic little Bo turns out to be a literal cherub, then NBC's "Believe" could become a huge hit. That's probably true even if her powers are just vaguely attributed as a "miracle" or a "gift from God." But if the source of her powers is explained in some kind of New Age-y way, or as a leap forward in human evolution, then that same religious audience will likely reject this show. Read more
Samantha Field: The problem isn’t just that universities like Pensacola Christian College, Bob Jones University, and Patrick Henry College are steeped in “purity culture” — a culture that teaches women who have sex are like used toothbrushes and half-eaten candybars: in a word, women are disposable. Purity culture is worth examining, but the heart of the problem at PCC is that purity culture is enshrined in the Pathway – and the Pathway makes it virtually impossible for victims to come forward, even more so than the roadblocks facing victims at secular colleges. Read more
Ken Wilson isn't like Rob Bell or Brian McLaren -- a former pastor already labeled with the tribal warning sign of "controversy." He is an until-now non-controversial member of the tribe, and he's still an evangelical pastor writing as an evangelical pastor. The title, and format, of his book is "A Letter to My Congregation." Read more
The congressman wants proof gay men exist. Biblical "inerrancy" can lead to oppression -- that's its appeal. Bryan College faculty stand up to creationist bullies on the board. Michael Medved surely knows that we know he's lying. Read more
The great fun of watching a show like this unfold is that it invites us to consider all its disparate claims and symbols and plot lines, to engage with its various narrators -- Marty, Rust, the camera -- and to choose how much or whether or when each is being trustworthy. And all the while it reminds us that we must be cautious of our own tendency, need or desire to impose meaning and patterns where none was intended. Read more
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