Date: October 20, 2020
Literalism, Originalism, and Dynamic Communities
“In the very first question put to her in Day 2 of her Supreme Court confirmation hearings, Judge Amy Coney Barrett was asked to define, ‘in English,’ the meaning of […]
Category: Blog Posts
Date: October 13, 2020
Oblivion Is Not the Answer
If you type the word “obliviate” into your search engine, the first references are to the charm in the Harry Potter books that causes an individual to forget. For example, […]
Date: October 6, 2020
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Doing Theology in Public
If you want to know the range of what kinds of public theology residents of the U.S. are doing, we live in a glorious time! Here are a few examples […]
Date: September 29, 2020
Question Not the Beliefs but the Therefores
The Constitution protects the freedom of religious believing. Citizens should be tolerant of other’s beliefs. The government cannot be used as a tool for heresy hunting or for burning an […]
Date: September 22, 2020
1619 Plus 1776 Plus 1830 Equals What?
Teach your history in church. It may be one of the most subversive actions a congregation can take. America needs a better story. Nearly everyone agrees on that. What that […]
Date: September 15, 2020
A Capitalist, a Democrat, and a Right-wing Christian Walk into a Bar
Several spiritualities conflict in the United States. Among the most prominent, sometimes doing battle and often shaping each other, are capitalism, democracy, and Christianity in its incarnation as the Christian […]
Date: September 8, 2020
Mr. Smith’s Washington, without Destructive Religion
Last week, I took an afternoon to watch Frank Capra’s classic film, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. It was a treat! What I saw in this 1939 film was both […]
Date: September 1, 2020
Christianity is Judged in Public by What Christians Do, and That is Good
Protestant Christianity is rooted historically in Martin Luther’s interpretation of St. Paul’s words that followers of Jesus are saved by faith and not works. That theological statement is central to […]
Date: August 25, 2020
The Cost of Craving Power
A cautionary tale. Once upon a time, there was a group of Christians who found themselves in the wilderness. I will call them This Group. And in the wilderness, that […]
Date: August 18, 2020
What Kind of Spirituality Does a Healthy Democracy Need?
Every culture has a spirituality, a spirit, a soul. Spirituality used in the context of culture refers to the life energy, the desire, the aching toward something. A true and […]