Unless you live in the small state of Rhode Island, you’ve probably never heard of Victory Day. Victory Day, or “VJ Day” for short, is the commemoration of the surrender of Japan and the end of World War II. I grew up in Rhode Island and still benefit from the state holiday. It’s always nice to have a day off to spend with family and stay out of the office. However, the holiday itself has been under fire almost since... Read more
Research has shown that Christians are leaving the church. Younger generations are less likely to attend church. They’re also less likely to think that church is an important part of their life. There are many reasons people say is the cause of this. Some blame modern technology and the ability to get content online and in your pocket. Fundamentalists will claim that these people aren’t true believers. Or maybe they couldn’t handle who God is and so they quit to... Read more
The Bible is the central text for Christianity throughout the world. The Protestant Bible contains 66 books while Catholic and Orthodox Bible’s include more. The Bible has been used for centuries to provide instruction for life and to uplift those in need. However, the Bible isn’t always used with good intentions. Fundamentalism hinges on a literal reading of the Bible. This includes the 6-day Creation story, God ordering the slaughter of innocent women, children, and animals during the Canaanite Conquest,... Read more
If you’re interested in Christian pop-culture, you’ve probably seen the Duggar family documentary Shiny Happy People. This documentary outlines the lives of the family from TLCs reality show 19 Kids and Counting. What appeared to be a strong family unit was exposed as a faltering IBLP and Quiverfull experience. Jim Bob Duggar followed the teaching of Bill Gothard, the founder of the Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP). These teachings included simple living, homeschooling, and rigid gender roles. They also discouraged any birth... Read more
American Christianity has a martyrdom complex. Much of the White Conservative Evangelical Church sees themselves as a persecuted group. If you grew up Evangelical in the 90’s, you probably remember the DC Talk song Jesus Freak. The band went on to produce a book, Jesus Freaks, about Christian martyrs throughout history. The feeling of being persecuted for their beliefs is not new. White American Christianity has been pushing back against the changing culture for decades. Christianity has been the majority religion in... Read more
It feels like church has changed so much after the COVID-19 pandemic. With most of the world on lockdown, many small churches scrambled to make the change to hosting services online. This often included spending thousands of dollars of video and audio equipment while requiring more volunteers to work the new tech. Much of 2020’s dialogue was about the necessity of in-person church. Denominations that place high priority on the Eucharist tended to be more hesitant to the change. Low... Read more
I haven’t ever been really patriotic. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the 2000’s. I remember 9/11, the Iraq War, the 2008 housing crash, and the list goes on. I loved watching satirical pundits like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert point out the hypocrisy in America. It hasn’t gotten a lot better since. However, it wasn’t until 2015 when I started feeling uncomfortable with the patriotic wing of American Christianity. I found it strange that we could pledge allegiance... Read more
There is a lot of the Bible which talks about the necessity of God being in the laws. The Hebrew Scripture blends history, politics, and divine intervention in this way. While I think this is a literary tool of an ancient people, more conservative and fundamentalist readings can lend to a Christian Nationalist interpretation. It’s hard to find much in the New Testament that promotes Christian Nationalism. Jesus is recorded as saying “give Caesar what is [his], and give God... Read more
The Social Gospel of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was concerned with the treatment and wellbeing of people’s physical existence rather than their post-mortem destination. They reframed the Good News towards public good and away from personal salvation. The Federal Council of Churches, founded in 1908, published The Social Creed of the Churches later that year. It listed grievances that these churches saw in the industrializing world. These included abolition of child labor, establishing a minimum living wage,... Read more
Capitalism is historically American. Independence, individualism, and entrepreneurship are deeply held American beliefs. These qualities are not wrong, but they aren’t necessarily based on Christian teachings like we may think. I talk a little bit about my feelings about Christianity and capitalism HERE. I also explain a little about the Protestant work ethic HERE. These are great primers to this article. America was in Reconstruction after the Civil War. As the country changed, so did technology. The rise of the... Read more
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