Loving “The Donald”
I first wrote this reflection in 2015 and was concerned then about the evangelical embrace of hateful ideologies and rhetoric. Sadly, that embrace has only grown stronger. I am proud to see old essays like …
Culture
A Christian Democrat? Here’s Why… You Can Vote Democratic
I have seen a couple of interesting posts on this subject on Facebook. One was an article entitled “Christian Democrat?” on In All Things. The website is a Dordt College project, so the article has a very reformed leaning. …
In their words: Yes, the Civil War was especially about slavery
Somehow, the causes of the Civil War are back in the political discourse. Presidential candidate and former governor Nikki Haley, who at one time made news for taking down the Confederate flag in her state, …
Great power, great responsibility, and a way home
Spider-Man rose like the Phoenix from the pages of a dying comic, Amazing Adult Fantasy, which ran as an anthology published by Marvel Comics in 1961 and 1962. As the series neared its run in …
I’m an Evangelical Democrat, and I’m coming out… Politically Speaking
I am a Democrat. Even more…by most metrics, I’m a progressive or liberal Democrat. There, I said it. My Facebook friends won’t be surprised by this. I haven’t hidden my political orientation, but I’ve also …
Trumpalmentalism: The new religion of taking Trump seriously AND literally
The conventional wisdom that Trump supporters took him seriously, but not literally, was challenged on January 6, 2021, when hundreds of his supporters–literally–answered his call to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell!” His …
Maybe a second Trump term won’t be bad?
Donald Trump maintains a significant lead in the polls ahead of the Iowa caucuses, making his securing of the Republican nomination for president increasingly inevitable. Recent national polls show Trump ahead of President Biden for …
Confronting our little monsters: Gremlins and the legacy of spooky Christmas lessons
Ghostly apparitions glide as easily into the Christmas season as they do Halloween. In fact, the traditional association of frightening morality tales with the holiday season stretches at least as far back as the seventeenth …
The Reformations and the genesis of popular Christian media
The Reformations of the sixteenth century are remembered as many different things. Interpreters focus on this period as a time of religious renewal, ecclesiastical schism, social upheaval, and political realignments. All of these approaches and …
Unexpected joy in the least likely of places: The gospel according to Die Hard
Die Hard ranks among my all-time favorite Christmas movies. But before you spit out your eggnog in protest while directing a choice “Yippee ki yay” my way, the film’s director John McTiernan supports my position …