Yes, You Should Be Angry At Chick-fil-A

Last updated on: November 23, 2019 at 2:52 am By Esther O’Reilly

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Chick-fil-A is no stranger to outrage and controversy, but this past week it incurred the outrage of an unlikely demographic: conservatives. Many outlets have already covered what transpired after the organization released its latest financial statement. Nevertheless, I must keep up this little corner of the ‘net somehow, so consider this my nickel in the proverbial Salvation Army kettle. For those who missed it, it has apparently come to Chick-fil-A’s attention that the Salvation... Read more

Shallow Woke-Scolding Won’t Save White Boys From the Alt-Right

Last updated on: October 16, 2019 at 1:18 pm By Esther O’Reilly

In a recent article, the newspaper formerly known as the New York Times offers an eye-catching headline: “Racists Are Recruiting. Watch Your White Sons.” The image is an inspired piece of pop art: a blond-haired, gangly boy disappearing into a giant iPhone made of writhing snakes. One shoe is still outside the phone, the shoelaces untied. The tag on his shirt sticks out against his neck. It’s a perfect visual encapsulation of vulnerability entrapped by evil. The author, Joanna Schroeder,... Read more

Greta Thunberg’s Meaning Crisis

Last updated on: September 20, 2019 at 2:53 pm By Esther O’Reilly

Today marked the beginning of a week-long Global Climate Strike. Per the official website, this international youth-galvanized effort is being orchestrated “to demand an end to the age of fossil fuels and climate justice for everyone.” The reader may be forgiven for wondering whose sin is to be punished by the meting out of said justice, and precisely how much penance is required to satisfy it. As you scroll down, a video thumbnail presents itself with the hope of further... Read more

The Boys Are Not All Right

Last updated on: August 5, 2019 at 4:48 pm By Esther O’Reilly

No words will suffice but "good" and "evil." No language will suffice but the language of war. Read more

Book Review: Dignity, Chris Arnade

Last updated on: August 3, 2019 at 9:31 am By Esther O’Reilly

When I bought and read Chris Arnade’s book Dignity, I was determined to be one of the first in line to say all the good things about it that could be said. But life had other plans, and other people said them first. So I now find myself sheepishly shuffling in late to add my own too-lengthy thoughts. They haven’t been easy to pull together. But then, Dignity is not an easy book to review. My first taste of Arnade’s... Read more

6 Lies Christian Apologists Shouldn’t Buy

Last updated on: June 15, 2019 at 7:39 pm By Esther O’Reilly

I’ve occasionally been described by people slightly familiar with my work as an “evangelical apologist.” Depending on who assigns that sort of a label, this could bring any number of assumptions and connotations along with it in the mind of the giver. In my case, a good number of them are probably going to be incorrect. As a cradle Continuing Anglican, I’ve always been on the outside looking in at evangelical church culture, despite my deep appreciation for some of... Read more

Jordan Peterson and the Unbearable Task

Last updated on: May 25, 2019 at 1:27 am By Esther O’Reilly

It’s not every day that a man confesses his sins on Twitter, but I saw it happen the other day. “If we are going to be damned for eternity for all of the terrible things we’ve done, here is my proactive list,” wrote Chad Felix Greene. Then he launched into his litany. Confession #1: Lying to his grandfather about using his credit card for a porn site. Confession #2: Being a sex worker, including sex with multiple married men that... Read more

Towards a Balanced View of Christian Womanhood

Last updated on: May 17, 2019 at 12:35 am By Esther O’Reilly

Christian social media has been buzzing of late with a fierce renewal of the long-standing debate over the role of women in the Church. It was catalyzed by this blog post from my friend and Patheos colleague Owen Strachan, which strongly censured female preaching in any context. By itself, the assertion that women should not be ordained as pastors isn’t controversial in conservative evangelical circles. But Strachan goes farther. Apropos of the announcement that popular speaker Beth Moore was going... Read more

Jordan Peterson and the Case of the Empty Tomb

Last updated on: April 20, 2019 at 8:46 pm By Esther O’Reilly

Originally published at Premier Christian Radio’s Unbelievable The future Bishop of Edinburgh was having a crisis. Easter Sunday was coming, and he had to prepare a sermon. It was not his first Easter sermon. Far from it. He knew the Easter sermon rhythm well. Year after year, he had climbed into little pulpits of little churches, ready to feed simple people hungry for the greatest story ever told. He knew how to preach about the resurrection all right. But this... Read more

Remember the Broken Things

Last updated on: April 19, 2019 at 1:48 am By Esther O’Reilly

The near-loss of Notre Dame prepared my mind for Good Friday this week. Many prayers would be answered as we gradually learned what had been saved: the Pieta, the rose windows, the cross and the altar. But while the flames raged, consuming roof and toppling spire, all I could think of was destruction and irrevocable loss. We tend to celebrate Good Friday with one eye on the Sunday that is coming. We know how it will go: from the cross... Read more