White Privilege at the End of the World
I grew up in a world where the end was always near. The Rapture could happen before lunch. Jesus might split the eastern sky before supper. The Antichrist was forever warming up in the wings. …
Politics
Energized by Armageddon: Iran and American Eschatology
I have some critical questions for the American Body of Christ—a body in which I have been active for several decades. I am eager to know if this describes you: Our Troops Indoctrinated by Apocalyptic …
Profundity and Absurdity
The two aging gladiators met on a makeshift wooden platform outside the Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, TN. The most famous courtroom scene in American history did not even take place in a courtroom. The …
What Might The Pentecostal/Charismatic Future of Evangelicalism Mean?
I got my first taste of Spirit-filled higher life theology from the long-serving, recently deceased pastor of First Baptist Church, Atlanta, Charles Stanley. Stanley’s The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life and its accompanying sermon series were released …
The Theological Ignorance of the Religious Right
Something has been bothering me for a very long time. I have been a member of various churches for more than 45 years, and each congregation would have considered itself theologically conservative. Some have been …
After the storm, opening our eyes
The sound of a train barreling over our bedroom woke us. “Do you hear that?” my wife and I asked each other simultaneously. Outside the window, the sky was illumined by lightning so frequent that …
Exvangelical: Are we the good guys?
“I thought we were the good guys.” Samantha Laruso (Mary Mouser) shares her disillusionment with her dad, Daniel (Ralph Macchio) in the first episode of season three of the Netflix series Cobra Kai. Her hopes …
Minnesota Freezes, Warmed by Love for Neighbors
This past Friday, I received the following message from Molly Steenson, CEO & President of the American Swedish Institute, my neighbor and venerable Twin Cities institution, which is ten blocks from the murder site of …
God’s Agent of the Autocratic State: Franklin Graham
The GOP Reinvents Itself Though I’ve brokered many disappointments in the last ten years, none has been so acute as seeing roughly half my friends and extended family members exchanging the “compassionate conservatism” for which …
Are You Okay?
“Are you okay?” Reportedly, those were the last words of Alex Pretti as he sought to protect two women who were being assaulted by government agents. I am not okay. No one should be okay …