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 …
Faith
Contrarian, in the best way
Social media interactions can be interesting. On one platform, I had a Christian friend say that I “sure seem to be working hard to purge, cleanse, and set us ‘not quite the good side right-thinking’ …
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. …
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 …
The (possibly) Biblical roots of a Dec. 25 Christmas
See amid the winter’s snow, Born for us on earth below, See the tender Lamb appears, Promised from eternal years. Hail, thou ever-blessed morn! Hail, redemption’s happy dawn! Sing through all Jerusalem, Christ is …
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 …