Lil’ Nax X’s Gift to the Church: Theological Clarity

Last updated on: August 30, 2022 at 1:05 pm By Anthony Costello

Recently I wrote about Cardi B.’s smash hit, WAP. There I argued that WAP stands in line with a long history of existentialist thought on human nature and the desire for liberation. That song, and its performer, along with their philosophical and literary predecessors, articulate a kind of “theologia diaboli,” or theology of the devil. Now, even more explicitly, another cultural poet has presented us with a very similar kind of anti-theology. Some might simply argue that Lil’ Nas X’s... Read more

Cardi B. and The Theology of the Devil

Last updated on: October 20, 2023 at 2:25 pm By Anthony Costello

In 2020, pop-star Cardi B. rocked the music world with her ultra-vulgar song “WAP.” While I will not reproduce the song’s lyrics here, it may be necessary to click on the above link and examine, albeit briefly, its lyrics. In doing so, one hopefully experiences some shock at, what can only be called, an ode to sexual barbarism. That said, such vulgarity should not be too surprising to anyone who has immersed themselves in the biblical story. Nor should it shock... Read more

God’s Wrath and Other People’s Sins

Last updated on: August 30, 2022 at 1:02 pm By Anthony Costello

In a sinful world, one reality particularly hard to digest is when innocent people are punished on account of the guilty. Children, for example, suffer for the sin of divorcing parents. The children are not guilty, it was never their choice. Still, they suffer punishment. This punishment is different from someone who is the direct victim of sinful intent, like a mugger and his prey. Nor is it akin to suffering the natural consequences of one’s own actions, like a... Read more

Black Outlaws and White Racists: Responding To Race Baiters

Last updated on: June 10, 2024 at 4:20 pm By Anthony Costello

Living in Germany in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s was a unique experience. At that time Germany was truly a culture in flux. The Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle) of the 1950’s was now a full generation old. The EU and the Euro had just arrived on the scene and countries were struggling with this new, corporate identity. Globalization and the Americanization of German culture was obvious and, as an American overseas, rather irritating. Migrants from Africa and the Middle East flowed... Read more

2 Books Every Pastor Really, Really Should Read

Last updated on: August 30, 2022 at 12:58 pm By Anthony Costello

Broadly speaking, reflection on the human condition can take one of two tracks: a logical, scientific analysis or an existential, experiential one. Approaches and methods that emerged during the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment have led to incredible insight into what kind of physical creatures we are. This mode of reasoning has also given us incredible knowledge of the universe in which we live. Physics, chemistry and biology have, in one sense, unlocked many mysteries about life in the cosmos.... Read more

Die Another Day: How The Fear of Death Controls Us

Last updated on: August 18, 2022 at 12:56 pm By Anthony Costello

As the terror of COVID-19 wanes in the West it seems appropriate to do two things. First, to carefully reflect on the response of government to the pandemic. Second, to assess our cultural attitude toward death and dying. With regard to the former, there will be great controversy. This will especially be the case as the corruption and incompetence that informed key decisions comes to light. With regard to the latter, there may be less controversy, at least in the... Read more

Three Features of CRT That Hurt Us (Part 3): Moral Legalism

Last updated on: September 9, 2024 at 12:39 pm By Anthony Costello

In the first two posts of this series I argued that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is 1) not a truth-oriented project and 2) that CRT is inherently and only political. My goal in this series is, ultimately, to warn about CRT as a terrible means to an even worse end. It is not to argue that CRT scholars have nothing interesting to say or that they do not make some valuable points on a few, microscopic social issues. It is... Read more

Three Features of CRT That Hurt Us (part 2): Pure Politics

Last updated on: September 9, 2024 at 12:10 pm By Anthony Costello

In the previous post, I claimed there are three core features of Critical Race Theory (CRT) that are harmful to human beings. These features are: 1) CRT is not truth-oriented, 2) CRT is inherently and only political, and 3) that CRT is moralistic. In this second essay, I outline how CRT is purely political and why that matters to human flourishing. Feature #2: CRT is Inherently and Only Political In part 1, I noted that Critical Theories, unlike traditional or... Read more

Three Features of CRT and How They Harm Society (Part 1)

Last updated on: September 9, 2024 at 11:39 am By Anthony Costello

Critical Race Theory now pervades almost every corner of American society. It is in schools, government, entertainment, sports and, yes, in churches and seminaries. It is an unavoidable monstrosity, one greatly misunderstood by Christians, and, well, most everybody else. This is, in part, because it is not entirely coherent in itself. Reasons for Critical Theory’s “ineffable” nature will hopefully become transparent below. However, one Christian philosopher, and CRT advocate, inadvertently alludes to why so many fail to comprehend CRT: This... Read more

Institutionalizing Love: Social Justice as the New Law of Love

Last updated on: August 30, 2022 at 12:51 pm By Anthony Costello

In his seminal analysis on the rise and dominance of secularism in the West, A Secular Age, Catholic philosopher Charles Taylor explores the thought of controversial Roman Catholic theologian, Ivan Illich. For Illich, who fled Austria in 1942 and was ordained a priest in 1951 in Rome, the greatest threat to the Gospel was the institutionalization of Christianity, especially in its modern form. Illich’s critique of the Church, not just in the West but throughout its oriental history, caused him... Read more