Religion Dispatches is a reliable site for smart commentary, and Jay Michaelson seems like an engaging fellow, but his latest RD article -- "Why I'm Grateful for 2012, The Rapture, and Other Millennial Delusions" -- is an unholy mess. Michaelson gets his eschatology scrambled, reversing pre- and post-millennialism, and thereby also garbling American history beyond recognition. Read more
The story of Herod's slaughter echoes the story of Moses, but I don't think this was mainly in order to invite us to see the similarities between Jesus and Moses. I think it was mainly in order to highlight the contrast between Jesus and Pharaoh. As always, I think it's about Power vs. Love; Love vs. Power. Read more
"We support biblical families," Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy says of his fast-food corporation. So let's take a look at some of those biblical families. Today's entry: Divorce. Read more
Jo Hilder on lessons learned in Australia; Tim Perry says it's time to ask questions of God, not questions about God; Alise Wright on violence against children; Scott Paeth says "without hope for the victims, there is no hope at all;" and Katie Grimes calls for "A Church That Does Body Counts." Read more
Richard Beck: "The English version was written in 1855, six years before the American Civil War and eight years before the Emancipation Proclamation. 'O Holy Night,' it turns out, was a song of political resistance and protest. Imagine Americans singing in the years leading up to the Civil War the lyrics 'Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother; And in His name all oppression shall cease.'" Read more
James McGrath responds to Jim West's attempt to play Baptist Enforcer, pointing out that Baptists, by definition, do not and cannot have enforcers. Pretty much the only way to break the rules as a Baptist is to try to enforce them on others. Read more
"We support biblical families," Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy says of his fast-food corporation. So let's take a look at some of those biblical families. Today's entry: Don't go with the flow. Read more
A round-up of links to a host of insightful commentary and questioning in response to the massacre on Friday in Newtown, Conn. My favorite is the advice from the late Fred Rogers, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." Let's all try to be one of them. Read more
The incoherence of James Dobson's statement comes from Dobson's undeniable recognition that the Newtown massacre was far, far worse than any number of abortions. He knows that. He feels that. But Dobson has painted himself into an ethical and rhetorical corner and so he cannot allow himself to admit that. Read more
Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii has died. Inouye was the second-longest serving senator in American history, representing the state of Hawaii in Congress for as long as there has been the state of Hawaii. Inouye was also a war hero and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. Read more
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