Hilary’s campaign just made a very effective campaign ad. Seems pretty easy to make an effectively frightening “attack ad” against Trump’s campaign. Just piece together clips of Trump talking, doing his thing, and show children watching it. Thanks to Daily Kos for sharing it. Read more
I love this meme James McGrath created: In a recent blog post, he reflects on the relevant Luke passage, which comes in the oft-dubbed “Sermon on the Plain.” In that passage, Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20, NRSV). Many interpreters, particularly those of us who aren’t actually poor, like to suggest that what Jesus really means by poor is humble, or meek, or “spiritually desperate for God.” Jesus loves... Read more
I’ve been aware of white privilege for quite a long time. But it wasn’t until Ferguson that the implications of my white privilege really set in. With the shooting of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014, and the subsequent eruption of anger and frustration by the African-American community and those expressing solidarity, it began to set in, in a more deeply emotional sense, what my white privilege really means. And then, only a few weeks after Michael Brown’s death, Chris... Read more
Spencer Burke is the Executive Director for the HatcheryLA, which is described as an “incubator for common cause communities.” The Hatchery offers a great way to get an accredited seminary degree while also learning practical skills in social entrepreneurship and developing your own project with a cohort of innovators. I have a special interest in the Hatchery, because it partners with the seminary where I teach, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities. Everybody is trying to figure out the... Read more
I went for a run yesterday in north Minnesota by one of its thousand-plus lakes; it was a fine occasion for my debut hearing of the Avett Brothers new album, True Sadness. The album’s title rings true throughout, but the album speaks to more emotions than sadness. A few songs are about death—but in an uplifting way. They’re more about finding freedom and joy in the often too-brief lives we have. The album begins with the rollicking “Ain’t No Man,”... Read more
Did you know that Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation, liked some books in the Bible a lot more than he liked other books? Actually, he didn’t just like them better, he even thought some were “true” and “noble,” whereas others (like the epistle of James)–not so much. Here’s what Luther writes at the conclusion of his Preface to the New Testament (in 1522): Which are the true and noblest books of the New Testament: From all this... Read more
Pat Summitt, legendary coach of the University of Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team, passed away last night at 64 years of age, five years after being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Summitt’s incredible accomplishments as a basketball coach is the stuff of legend. She was the winningest coach in D-1 basketball history. I vividly recall when her Alzheimer’s diagnosis was announced, because my mother had been diagnosed several years previous and was in the middle stages of the disease’s... Read more
In a discussion of Matthew 24:26-28, which is commonly taken by premillennial pretributionalist dispensationalists (there’s an eschatological mouthful) to be one of the key “rapture” texts, N.T. Wright articulates a very counter-position to the rapture notion, which is actually a quite recent development in interpretation: While they [Jesus’ disciples] were waiting for the moment to arrive, however, there would be many voices urging that Israel’s vindication was to be found in this or that new movement. They would long to... Read more
Like so many Americans, I’ve been amazed and disgusted at the unwillingness of our elected officials to deal effectively with the problem of gun violence. The NRA has a clear stranglehold on the Republican-controlled Congress. And so, like many Americans, I’ve been inspired and encouraged at the images of the sit-in by fed-up members, demanding a vote on a new proposed bill, the so-called “No Fly, No Buy” regulation. If passed, this would prevent people who’ve been placed on the... Read more
Remember the Daisy Girl ad? It’s known as the commercial that ushered in the age of the “attack ad,” run during the 1964 presidential election by the (incumbent) Lyndon B. Johnson campaign , and it changed the course of campaign advertising in politics. The ad was a response to suggestions or hints by Republican opponent Barry Goldwater that the U.S. could use a nuclear weapon to end the Vietnam war. The ad clearly indicates (without mentioning Goldwater by name), if you... Read more
Unsystematic Theology
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In