I grew up believing I knew what the book of Revelation was about. It was about the future, specifically our future, and if you paid close enough attention you could match its symbols to newspaper headlines. The beast was probably some European politician. The mark was probably a microchip. Russia was Gog. China was the kings of the East. And Israel, always Israel, was God’s prophetic clock, ticking down to the rapture. ...
I’ve been trying to put my thoughts together on what, precisely, grieves me about American evangelicalism. Here’s what I have, so far. I was born and raised in conservative/fundamentalist USA evangelicalism. I went to Cedarville University for undergrad, where I studied Bible and Spanish. Then, I went to Beeson Divinity School. Then, I went to Wheaton College Graduate School. My first misgivings about the evangelicalism started in college. In 2012 or so, I couldn’t help but notice some concerning parallels between the German churches in 1920s-30s and American evangelical Christianity. I stopped calling myself an evangelical in 2016 when it became clear just how many evangelicals voted for Trump. ...
Kevin Briggins recently published a piece titled “Minneapolis, ICE, and the Christian Response” that attempts to offer Christians a balanced framework for thinking about the recent unrest in Minneapolis. I don’t think it succeeds. The piece frames itself as balanced, but the scrutiny only flows in one direction. Briggins examines ICE opponents’ rhetoric in detail, attributes their concerns to emotional manipulation, and barely acknowledges that ICE itself might bear any responsibility for what’s happened. ...
I keep seeing the same rhetorical move, and it’s making me furious. An ICE agent shoots someone on video. The administration lies about it in ways that would make Orwell blush. And the response from certain Christian commentators? “Let’s not fan the flames.” “We shouldn’t rush to conclusions.” “There are extremes on both sides.” This posture has the appearance of wisdom. It sounds mature, measured, above the fray. It positions the speaker as the reasonable adult in the room while everyone else loses their heads. ...
ICE agents shot and killed Renée Good, a US citizen and mother of three, on a Minneapolis street earlier this month. Video shows her steering away from the agent who killed her. DHS immediately labelled her a “domestic terrorist.” ICE continues to terrorize neighborhoods and abduct citizens and non-citizens alike. Meanwhile, the president launched a military strike on Venezuela without congressional approval. He’s threatening NATO allies with tariffs and won’t rule out military force to seize Greenland—explicitly because he didn’t get a Nobel Peace Prize. And the Epstein files he promised to release? Less than 1% have come out, with documents connecting him to Epstein mysteriously disappearing from government websites before public backlash forced their restoration. ...
“Give me liberty or give me death.” Patrick Henry’s famous words have echoed through American culture for 250 years. They show up on T-shirts, bumper stickers, and church signs. They get quoted in sermons, usually around the Fourth of July. But here’s the thing: Patrick Henry wasn’t quoting Scripture. And if you read what the Bible actually says about freedom, it sounds almost nothing like what Americans mean when we use the word. ...
Most Christians assume that the New Testament clearly and consistently teaches eternal conscious torment in hell. But when you actually go looking for this doctrine in the text, the picture becomes far more complicated than you might expect. On one hand, you have a handful of passages that seem to teach eternal punishment. On the other hand, you have a remarkable number of passages that appear to promise the salvation of all people. And when you examine the Greek words involved, the case for eternal torment becomes even less certain. ...
“We have to follow the law. Romans 13 is clear.” I’ve heard this argument countless times in discussions about immigration policy. Christians who would never dream of treating immigrants with personal cruelty nevertheless defend harsh enforcement policies by appealing to Paul’s command to submit to governing authorities. The logic seems airtight: God established governments, governments make laws, therefore Christians must support strict immigration enforcement. Case closed. But what if we’re reading Romans 13 in isolation from the rest of Scripture’s witness? What if Paul’s instruction to the Roman Christians needs to be held in tension with Jesus’ own teaching about how we will be judged? ...
“My Kingdom is Not of This World” – Jesus These words of Christ echo with renewed urgency today as American evangelicalism grapples with a dangerous conflation of gospel and nation. Theologian Michael Gorman recently shared ten theological affirmations that cut to the heart of this crisis. His theses aren’t merely academic observations, they’re prophetic warnings against a distortion of Christianity that threatens both the integrity of the gospel and the witness of the church. ...
Tired of hearing Christians go nuclear over a verse in Revelation or a line from Genesis? Me too. We can do better. (Note: I’ve frequently failed at this myself, so consider this a reminder for me as much as for you.) Here’s how to have a theological argument without losing your cool — or your brother or sister in Christ. 1. The Problem: Why Most Theological Arguments Go Sideways Most bad theological arguments have the same ingredients: ...
According to David Gushee in After Evangelicalism, “Christian humanism” basically means “orienting our lives by a version of Christian faith that is compassionately realistic about the human condition, reflects the best of human knowledge, and enables all kinds of human beings to truly flourish. It’s humane and for human well-being.” If this is the case, then the opposite of Christian humanism might be called Christian misanthropy (misanthropy: “a hatred or distrust of humankind”). ...
No kings, save One, the King of Kings, whose kingdom peace and justice brings. No kings, but He who blessed the poor, and binds their wounds forevermore. No kings, except the Crucified, who, on a tyrant’s cross, died – No kings! – to save the last, the least, and bring them to His wedding feast. No kings, save One, who wore a crown of bitter thorns upon His brow. No kings, but He who rose to save, to lift the outcasts from their grave. ...
“The Bible is clear…” “The Bible says…” “The Bible is for/against…” How often—especially within American evangelicalism—do these phrases become rhetorical battering rams for partisan talking points? Let’s be honest: the Bible is not a monolith. It is a library of ancient, inspired texts written across centuries, cultures, and genres. “What the Bible says” on any given topic often depends heavily on who’s reading, how they’re reading, and what they bring to the text. ...
With fascism on the rise in the United States of America and around the world, and with many so-called “Christians” gladly supporting the rise of the far-right and attributing it to the will of God, I was struck by these words from Ephesians 5 (which were assigned as one of the readings for Morning Prayer today). Ephesians 5:11-14 (New Living Translation, NLT) 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, ...
You Can’t Follow Jesus and Hate Immigrants You can’t follow Jesus and hate immigrants. Of course, this does NOT settle every question of immigration policy! But, if you’re a follower of Jesus, consider your overall posture toward immigrants. If you call yourself a Christian, I want you to think about this seriously. What comes into your head and your heart when you think of immigrants and refugees? Fear? Anger? Disgust? ...