Paul does not tell Philemon what to do at all. He scrupulously, elaborately refuses to do so. Paul's letter, start to finish, is an extravagant exercise in not telling Philemon what to do. And yet Philemon would have to have been an idiot not to have understood exactly what it was that Paul wanted and expected him to do. 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: Ruth & Boaz. Read more
When we encounter those clinging to cherished myths due to ignorance and misinformation, then gentle, gracious persuasion seems both kind and prudent. Those who do not know the truth can be gently introduced to it. But when we encounter those clinging to cherished myths due to a preference for such lies over the truth, well … bombs away. Read more
A fine selection of artisanal links, featuring Grandma Jesus, Good Christian Misogynists, life chains, all-American denialists, Inigo Montoya, Joey Ramone, Mel White, Sergius & Bacchus, and other saints who don't fit in. Read more
Adam and Eve are not part of the story of God creating "the world and everything in it in six days." The book of Genesis never says that "Adam and Eve" were created on the sixth day. The first chapter of Genesis tells a six-day creation story and Adam and Eve do not appear in it. OK, then. 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: Abram & Sarai & Hagar. Read more
This argument -- proof-texting vs. a more comprehensive reading of the Bible -- has been going on here in America for centuries. And this argument began in earnest around this very subject: slavery. Long before the Civil War -- and even before the Revolution -- Americans fought over slavery by fighting over how to read the Bible. Read more
I'm happy to be given an excuse to quote again from Mark Twain's incisive essay on "Bible Teaching and Religious Practice." I'm less happy that this excuse involves contemporary Republican lawmakers praising slavery. Read more
“It’s a strategy that works because when I lie, I’m essentially telling people what they want to hear, and people really like hearing things they want to hear. Even if they sort of know that nothing I’m saying is true.” Read more
Charlie Fuqua says he's just reading the Bible like any good Christian should. And the Bible, he says, teaches that "God's Law" should be American law. So Fuqua supports a biblical, pro-family agenda of outlawing abortion, reinstating school prayer, deporting all Muslim citizens, abolishing the minimum wage, and executing rebellious children and any prisoner not rehabilitated after two years. Read more
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