Christian Nationalism—the belief that patriotism and Christianity are inextricably linked — is often at the root of divisions among Christians today. Whether or not they use that term, many Christians embrace the tenets of Christian Nationalism as the only way to preserve faith, country, and the values they believe are foundational to the United States. […]
I felt whiplashed by passionate but conflicting appeals for me to be afraid. I was reading the book We Will Not Be Silenced by the noted pastor emeritus of The Moody Church, Edwin Lutzer. His opening sentence is, “The secular left does not believe that America can be fixed; they say it must be destroyed.” […]
Over the last few years, many articles and books have analyzed the current state of evangelicalism in the United States. (See note below for examples.) The reason for all of this attention to a historically profound world-wide movement in Christianity is not only the 81 percent of white evangelicals who voted for Donald Trump in […]
I recently participated in a politically diverse group discussion about truth and lies—particularly the phrase, “The Big Lie.” Someone suggested that the term be applied to President Obama’s false promise in 2009 that under Obamacare you could choose your own doctor. Most others though understood its current usage to refer to the lie that Trump […]
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is one of the most controversial issues today in not only the academic world but in our politics and personal conversations. Last fall, a presidential executive order banned CRT in diversity training in federal agencies. Just this past week, the state of Idaho cut off funding for the teaching of CRT […]
We hear a lot about “cancel culture” in the media right now, but the term seems to mean very different things to different people. For instance, several weeks ago, the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) held their annual convention with the theme of “America Uncancelled” to proclaim that they were for free speech. Ironically, they […]
After elections, many Christians admit they voted for someone who had no chance of winning, rather than voting for someone who at best was “the lesser of two evils.” Some also have done so as a personal protest against the two-party system. Such choices born out of frustration are understandable, but do they accomplish their […]
Is it okay for a Christian to vote for a pro-choice candidate for president? This is the question I hear from many evangelical friends. Some say no because one is then complicit in supporting the evil of abortions. They believe that abortion should be the sole issue in voting for a president. Others who are […]
Bridget Phetasy, a podcaster who self-identifies as “politically homeless” is quoted in the Dispatch Weekly as saying, “If Trump wins, I reckon America will burn. If Trump loses, America will burn. Either way, I’m preparing for America to burn.” Confirming these feelings, President Trump says that he “is the only thing standing between the American […]
In my previous blogs, I wrote about two predispositions for wise decision-making. One was the virtue of feeling conflicted about the complexities of an issue so we can arrive at a meaningful conclusion. Right now, for example, parents and schools across the country face tremendous complexities about how to handle the upcoming academic year. If […]