The biggest Protestant denomination in the country recently chose as its president a conservative, Lumbee Indian, anti-Calvinism crusader. That's a decent-size news story, right?
Wrong. But, as Jeff Sharlet points out, it should be.
Jun 14, 2008
Vatican: Down with fundie biblicism
The classic Vatican mode for addressing conservative, low-church evangelicals: Blunt, condescending, and pretty much right on.
Jun 12, 2008
Faith among the famous bylines and terrible cartoons
Nice set of short, personal essays on faith from the New Yorker. I particularly like Uwem Akpan's and Tobias Wolff's pieces.
Falsani on Pfleger
For an introduction to the colorful white priest of an enormous, largely black, south-side-of-Chicago Catholic parish, see Cathleen Falsani's short, informative piece.
From centerpiece to luxury
Mark Bittman--known at my former house in St. Paul as the author of the Bittman Bible--has a great piece in the NYT about strategies (not reasons) for reducing (not eliminating) the meat in your diet. Give it a read--I promise you won't feel judged.
Digest: OMG evangelicals and voting!!!
While Obama met w/ a wide variety of moderate-evangelical types, McCain continued in his uphill, obviously half-hearted journey of courting the religious right. (Check out the odd photo and cutline treatment on the Times article--what in the picture has anything to do w/ evangelicals? [Hat tip to Terry Mattingly.])
Meanwhile, a new Christians-and-politics survey from Calvin College's Henry Institute may surprise people who are convinced that Shane Claiborne or Ted Strickland or Jim Wallis or whoever is the new proto-evangelical. But it doesn't surprise Mark. Or CT.
Meanwhile, a new Christians-and-politics survey from Calvin College's Henry Institute may surprise people who are convinced that Shane Claiborne or Ted Strickland or Jim Wallis or whoever is the new proto-evangelical. But it doesn't surprise Mark. Or CT.
What happened to A New Kind of Evangelical?
HuckPAC is talking issues. And, as Mark Silk observes, not a word about global warming, AIDS, Darfur, or global debt.
WTF, evangelicals? We keep hearing that The Climate is Changing Among You, that A New Generation of Leaders is Expanding Your Agenda, and even that A Former Presidential Candidate Shall Lead You. Hmm.
Silk also offers this bit of illuminating correspondence.
WTF, evangelicals? We keep hearing that The Climate is Changing Among You, that A New Generation of Leaders is Expanding Your Agenda, and even that A Former Presidential Candidate Shall Lead You. Hmm.
Silk also offers this bit of illuminating correspondence.
More Julian than eastern-spirituality-tourist
Deal Hudson reports on a modern-day locutionist in Ireland. Turns out she doesn't fit the modern-day-mystic stereotype too well.
Via dotCommonweal.
Via dotCommonweal.
Jun 10, 2008
Transit problems
So I'm back in DC now--conducting the job search from here, as 1) it's as good a place as any, 2) my girlfriend is here, and 3) I found a cheap month-to-month room to rent.
Unlike the Twin Cities, it's far too hot here. BUT, also unlike the Cities, DC has a beautiful, comfortable subway system. I can't imagine the one-two punch of St. Paul bus stop wait times and the DC summer.
Former Sec. Labor Robert Reich sums up nicely the problems facing public transit: $4/gallon turns out to be the tipping point for many drivers, evidenced by the sudden swell in public transit demand. But
Unlike the Twin Cities, it's far too hot here. BUT, also unlike the Cities, DC has a beautiful, comfortable subway system. I can't imagine the one-two punch of St. Paul bus stop wait times and the DC summer.
Former Sec. Labor Robert Reich sums up nicely the problems facing public transit: $4/gallon turns out to be the tipping point for many drivers, evidenced by the sudden swell in public transit demand. But
the nation doesn't have nearly enough public transportation to handle the new demand. Even more absurdly, right now when it's needed the most, public transportation across the land is being cut back. This is because transit costs are soaring by the same skyrocketing fuel prices that are forcing people out of their cars, at the same time transit revenues are shrinking because most transit systems depend largely on sales taxes, now dwindling as consumer purchases decline in this recession.Infuriating, no? Read the whole thing.
Jun 9, 2008
Jun 3, 2008
Obama
I just left St. Paul late last week; I'm in Wisconsin for a few days before moving back East.
Meanwhile, Sen. Obama's in St. Paul, claiming the nomination. We're all pretty tired of this primary, so it's hard to remember just how exciting this is: For the first time, a black candidate has won a major party nomination. Nominating a woman would have been equally exciting, but that doesn't actually take anything away from this historic moment.
I wish I were still up in St. Paul.
Meanwhile, Sen. Obama's in St. Paul, claiming the nomination. We're all pretty tired of this primary, so it's hard to remember just how exciting this is: For the first time, a black candidate has won a major party nomination. Nominating a woman would have been equally exciting, but that doesn't actually take anything away from this historic moment.
I wish I were still up in St. Paul.
Hamburgled
Looks like the ship is sailing on taking restaurants' used cooking oil off their hands for free.
May 29, 2008
Empty words?
Mark Silk has an interesting, so-crazy-it-actually-makes-sense theory: Because the Court's makeup is so different than it was a few years ago, abortion law might ACTUALLY CHANGE in the foreseeable future. Therefore, McCain can't emphasize his anti-abortion credentials too much, because the majority of the country that opposes criminalized abortion might fear that he'll actually do something about it, i.e., that for once a Republican's electoral-season talk on the issue might actually amount to something substantive.
Quick poll: Which is in general more bizarre, U.S. electoral politics or the abortion debate?
Quick poll: Which is in general more bizarre, U.S. electoral politics or the abortion debate?
May 27, 2008
Two good pieces on the Anglican conflict
Jason Byassee reports on the state of post-Episcopal Anglicanism in one of it's hotbeds, the area around my alma mater, Wheaton College.
And the must-read: a beautiful piece of first-person reportage and reflection, in which Garret Keizer teases out some of the major tensions w/ which the whole subject is fraught. He makes clear that his essential loyalties are to TEC's position, but also that his instinct is to see the world fundamentally in terms of socioeconomic inequality, not doctrinal integrity or sexuality or anything else. I'd describe myself similarly, so naturally, I'm predisposed to appreciating his analysis. Here's an excerpt:
And the must-read: a beautiful piece of first-person reportage and reflection, in which Garret Keizer teases out some of the major tensions w/ which the whole subject is fraught. He makes clear that his essential loyalties are to TEC's position, but also that his instinct is to see the world fundamentally in terms of socioeconomic inequality, not doctrinal integrity or sexuality or anything else. I'd describe myself similarly, so naturally, I'm predisposed to appreciating his analysis. Here's an excerpt:
My tendency--at least my temptation--is to see the church crisis, at least in America, as I see most other political disputes between bourgeois conservatives and bourgeois liberals: as cosmetically differentiated versions of the same earnest quest for moral rectitude in the face of one's collusion in an economic system of gross inequality. It goes without saying that by touting this stark binary, I, too, am seeking to establish my rectitude. Still the question remains: How does a Christian population implicated in militarism, usury, sweatshop labor, and environmental rape find a way to sleep at night? Apparently, by making a very big deal out of not sleeping with Gene Robinson. Or, on the flip side, by making approval of Gene Robinson the litmus test of progressive integrity, a stance that I have good resaon to believe would impress no one so little as Gene Robinson himself.This is, of course, a bit hyperbolic. (I cringe at the idea that the difference between alligning yourself with the U.S. church and w/ Nigerian archbishop Peter Akinola is a mere cosmetic one.) Still, it's pretty damning, and elsewhere in the piece Keizer asks more questions than he makes pronouncements. It's a tour de force, full of sophisticated analysis, ambiguity, and personal voice.
"Protest Incorporated" vs. "The Players"
David Sirota on why the Dems aren't likely to get us out of Iraq.
Evangelical priorities
As I've been saying every chance I get for a long time, a "broadening evangelical agenda" or whatever may be great for church life and the general health of debate. But it matters ELECTORALLY only to the degree that evangelical PRIORITIES change--and the evidence of such a shift is tenuous at best.
Meanwhile, Stan Guthrie insists that abortion retains priority status. And in the zero-sum game of electoral politics, it's priorities that matter.
Meanwhile, Stan Guthrie insists that abortion retains priority status. And in the zero-sum game of electoral politics, it's priorities that matter.
May 22, 2008
IRS: UCC is fine
Even though they let Barack Obama, a church member, speak to them!
Just one more step in the country's undeniable march toward a social-gospel-theocratic dystopia! What's next, a "Department of What Would Jesus Do" executive agency devoted to not bombing the hell out of anyone who crosses us? Dangerous stuff, people...
Just one more step in the country's undeniable march toward a social-gospel-theocratic dystopia! What's next, a "Department of What Would Jesus Do" executive agency devoted to not bombing the hell out of anyone who crosses us? Dangerous stuff, people...
Economic Conservatives to Christian Coalition: WTF?
The Christian Coalition supports net neutrality legislation, citing its potential to protect grassroots interest groups generally. Makes perfect sense, right?
Wrong! The group's conservative allies are bewildered, frankly, bewildered. Christian conservatives against The Market?! There's no "go against the unholy alliance" in "team"!
It's a sad thing that a religious right group's backing a platform clearly in its own interests (and those of democracy) raises flags, as everyone simply expects such groups to be in bed w/ the Regulation Must Die set. But good for the CCA for doing it anyway.
Wrong! The group's conservative allies are bewildered, frankly, bewildered. Christian conservatives against The Market?! There's no "go against the unholy alliance" in "team"!
It's a sad thing that a religious right group's backing a platform clearly in its own interests (and those of democracy) raises flags, as everyone simply expects such groups to be in bed w/ the Regulation Must Die set. But good for the CCA for doing it anyway.
GOP VP watch
I, for one, would find immense satisfaction watching the religious right bend over backwards to try to articulate why John McCain and the assumed-gay Charlie Crist support Family Values more than Obama and, say, Ted Strickland do.
May 21, 2008
Mainline megachurches?
A trend piece from Mark Pinsky--turns out mainline churches aren't dying out as much as you might have thought. Some of them are even getting pretty big!
Of course, 1,000 or even 5,000 members doesn't put you in Saddleback/Lakewood/Willow Creek league. More importantly, he doesn't get into the question of slippage between mainline and evangelical labels--are these large, thriving denominational churches LIBERAL, or do they represent the conservative-to-moderate (arguably, the EVANGELICAL) branches that exist in each of the mainline bodies?
This hole in the piece becomes especially evident when Pinsky points out that, while evangelicals have one of their own in the White House right now, both Democratic candidates are mainliners. In a sense, this may be true. However, Bush and Clinton belong to the same denomination (United Methodist). Defining the mainline in terms of denominational affiliation is only useful as far as it goes.
(The evangelical-mainline binary is a sociological and journalistic minefield, and Pinsky, a smart and insightful writer, has been simplistic about it before. Here's my review of his book on U.S. evangelicalism.)
Of course, 1,000 or even 5,000 members doesn't put you in Saddleback/Lakewood/Willow Creek league. More importantly, he doesn't get into the question of slippage between mainline and evangelical labels--are these large, thriving denominational churches LIBERAL, or do they represent the conservative-to-moderate (arguably, the EVANGELICAL) branches that exist in each of the mainline bodies?
This hole in the piece becomes especially evident when Pinsky points out that, while evangelicals have one of their own in the White House right now, both Democratic candidates are mainliners. In a sense, this may be true. However, Bush and Clinton belong to the same denomination (United Methodist). Defining the mainline in terms of denominational affiliation is only useful as far as it goes.
(The evangelical-mainline binary is a sociological and journalistic minefield, and Pinsky, a smart and insightful writer, has been simplistic about it before. Here's my review of his book on U.S. evangelicalism.)
As long as they still have super-slick music and a "prayer department"
Willow Creek is abandoning its "seeker sensitive" approach to Sunday services.
May 20, 2008
Protect me, father. I am helpless, though pure.
What's creepier than a "purity ball," at which young women dress up all fancy and vow to keep their bodies pure of Satan's Sexy Ways?
How about one at which the girls stay silent while their fathers do the vowing?
How about one at which the girls stay silent while their fathers do the vowing?
May 16, 2008
Bush: I can veto whatever the hells I want
Despite the veto-proof level of support in both houses, the president will veto the farm bill anyway. So there.
For the next six months anyway, same-sex marriage is legal in California
NY Times article.
And from now till November, a whole lot of Christians will be embarrassing the rest of us.
And from now till November, a whole lot of Christians will be embarrassing the rest of us.
May 15, 2008
The trend pieces vs. the voters
Mark Silk makes a point that some of us have been making for a couple years, one that's as relevant as ever right now: The problem with the evangelicals-go-Democrat narrative is that THERE ISN'T MUCH MEASURABLE EVIDENCE OF IT. And he links to new poll data that finds that evangelicals--not just the white ones--prefer McCain to Obama: 69 vs. 28 percent.
Another reminder that you really can't make something true just by saying it over and over again.
Another reminder that you really can't make something true just by saying it over and over again.
The bathwater without the baby
Interesting observation from Alice Blair Wesley--despite the many aspects of Puritan New England that the American Unitarian tradition rejected, the UU church retains congregational polity.
Not sure why this matters much, but I'm the sort of nerdy person who finds it interesting.
Not sure why this matters much, but I'm the sort of nerdy person who finds it interesting.
Well yes, sir, we DO have the engorged liver of a tortured duck today!
Based on my own limited experiences, a basic dining-and-travel guide:
Go to the Twin Cities for Asian food and great beer. Burn off the calories on the wonderful bike trails.
Go to DC for Ethiopian food and overpriced bad sandwiches. Enjoy the city's beauty (for the few minutes you can stand the heat), its crowds of uptight squares (w/ the fascinating knowledge and high ideals they may even condescend to tell you about), and its admission-less museums (which you don't have time to visit).
Go to Chicago for Mexican food and everything else that's good about food/the world. Including, recently, foie gras. Taste the astonishing cruelty again, for the first time.
Go to the Twin Cities for Asian food and great beer. Burn off the calories on the wonderful bike trails.
Go to DC for Ethiopian food and overpriced bad sandwiches. Enjoy the city's beauty (for the few minutes you can stand the heat), its crowds of uptight squares (w/ the fascinating knowledge and high ideals they may even condescend to tell you about), and its admission-less museums (which you don't have time to visit).
Go to Chicago for Mexican food and everything else that's good about food/the world. Including, recently, foie gras. Taste the astonishing cruelty again, for the first time.
With less pressure to pander, Romney talks some sense
Romney: Oh wait, did I hedge in my religion speech on whether non-religious people have any real worth in U.S. society? Let me fix that now, when it doesn't really matter much.
Yes Edwards Can
May 10, 2008
Bush to veto farm bill
So says the secretary of agriculture.
Sustainable food people: Is this good or bad? It's a pretty shitty bill, but it's the only one we have...should we cut our losses and wait five years, or will U.S. ag policy have already destroyed the world by then?
Sustainable food people: Is this good or bad? It's a pretty shitty bill, but it's the only one we have...should we cut our losses and wait five years, or will U.S. ag policy have already destroyed the world by then?
Fish bait
At my local farmers market, one vendor sells (delicious) raw-milk cheese aged <60 days under the name "fish bait." It's a winking thing; she's not actually fooling anybody. But the raw-milk thing is quite a lively topic among food types, and the laws vary considerably by state.
Last month's Harpers includes a good reported piece that deals with the topic thoughtfully and fairly. I was especially interested to read about why pasteurization of milk came about in the first place.
Last month's Harpers includes a good reported piece that deals with the topic thoughtfully and fairly. I was especially interested to read about why pasteurization of milk came about in the first place.
Evangelical manifesto
This is pretty interesting. Hopefully, among other things, a good corrective to the typically clueless media coverage of U.S. evangelicalism, except when it's about politics...
Feature on progressive Christianity conference
Hello, I'm still here. I'm finishing up my internship at Utne Reader and spending most of my time trying to find a job. So blogging's been a bit light.
Here's a short feature I wrote for Utne on a progressive Christianity conference in Minneapolis last month.
Here's a short feature I wrote for Utne on a progressive Christianity conference in Minneapolis last month.
May 1, 2008
Prayer for all people! Who endorse a particular brand of Protestantism!
Today is the National Day of Prayer, and a lot of folks aren't pleased that Shirley Dobson et al. still control this thing.
Gary Stern has a good summary.
Gary Stern has a good summary.
Apr 28, 2008
Apr 27, 2008
NeoBLOGisms
One of the (many!) joys of blogging in obscurity is keeping tabs on which invented words remain me-exclusives:
Sucksabee was for awhile but isn't anymore. Due more to obviousness than influence, I'm sure.
Greenwiping is.
So's Angryblackpastorgate (with apologies to John, who I believe coined all or most of this one).
Sucksabee was for awhile but isn't anymore. Due more to obviousness than influence, I'm sure.
Greenwiping is.
So's Angryblackpastorgate (with apologies to John, who I believe coined all or most of this one).
Happy Easter
Today is Easter Sunday in the Orthodox and Coptic churches. More than a month after the Western Easter this year--it was cold here in Saint Paul on our March Easter Sunday. Oh wait, it's cold here today, too...
Apr 26, 2008
New rule about Angryblackpastorgate:
No one is allowed to express any anti-Wright opinions unless they've watched last night's Bill Moyers interview in its entirety.
Really good stuff. I was especially impressed with Wright's great little description of black liberation theology. He quoted James Cone on how the god of the guy captaining a slave ship is fundamentally different from the god of the people down below. Then he observed that it's not like when Notre Dame plays Michigan and each side prays to God that they'll win, where the only thing that's clear is that there's no particular reason for God to prefer one side over the other. In fact, the God of the oppressed has the advantage of, you know, actually being the God of the Bible.
And it's fascinating and sobering to see longer clips of Wright preaching at Trinity UCC. The media coverage of Angryblackpastorgate has had the sad effect, on me at least, of making it seem really unusual to see Wright at the pulpit, wearing his dashiki, saying not shocking things but regular, pastor-y things. Which, of course, he did plenty of for many years in that pulpit. Good for Moyers/PBS for including some longer clips.
(Close to an hour, but worth it. And no, I'm not going to try to get you to watch ever longer videos about Wright every couple days...)
Really good stuff. I was especially impressed with Wright's great little description of black liberation theology. He quoted James Cone on how the god of the guy captaining a slave ship is fundamentally different from the god of the people down below. Then he observed that it's not like when Notre Dame plays Michigan and each side prays to God that they'll win, where the only thing that's clear is that there's no particular reason for God to prefer one side over the other. In fact, the God of the oppressed has the advantage of, you know, actually being the God of the Bible.
And it's fascinating and sobering to see longer clips of Wright preaching at Trinity UCC. The media coverage of Angryblackpastorgate has had the sad effect, on me at least, of making it seem really unusual to see Wright at the pulpit, wearing his dashiki, saying not shocking things but regular, pastor-y things. Which, of course, he did plenty of for many years in that pulpit. Good for Moyers/PBS for including some longer clips.
(Close to an hour, but worth it. And no, I'm not going to try to get you to watch ever longer videos about Wright every couple days...)
Apr 25, 2008
Just the facts and a nice graphic
Tired of all the spin about which Democratic candidate has more appeal w/ X or Y group of people?
This NYT graphic lays it out pretty nicely.
This NYT graphic lays it out pretty nicely.
And here I thought only other white, gay-loving, resurrection-denying liberals supported TEC...
This is interesting: in its latest episode of conflict w/ CANA--the young Anglican body aligned w/ the church in Nigeria--the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia has the support of the national bodies of not only the United Methodist Church but also the Worldwide Church of God and both of the main historically black Methodist churches.
What's Wright's political strategy here?!
Dan Gilgoff: "How many votes will [coverage of the Wright interview w/ Moyers] win Obama?"
Marc Ambinder: "The most damaging thing Rev. Jeremiah Wright has to say may well be that Obama 'says what he has to say as a politician.'"
Damaging to whom, Obama? Sorry, I'm not going to hold Wright to that particular standard right now. In his own defense (you'll recall that he's been under a bit of an attack), Wright pointed out that pastors and politicians say different things to different audiences, and this is why Obama had to distance himself from his pastor. A lot more gracious than Wright might have been. Also, of course, entirely true.
But no one's all that concerned with Wright's defense on the merits. It's an election year, and people only exist as characters in that particular narrative. As Terry Mattingly always reminds us, if you want the media to cover religion, look for where it influences politics.
Marc Ambinder: "The most damaging thing Rev. Jeremiah Wright has to say may well be that Obama 'says what he has to say as a politician.'"
Damaging to whom, Obama? Sorry, I'm not going to hold Wright to that particular standard right now. In his own defense (you'll recall that he's been under a bit of an attack), Wright pointed out that pastors and politicians say different things to different audiences, and this is why Obama had to distance himself from his pastor. A lot more gracious than Wright might have been. Also, of course, entirely true.
But no one's all that concerned with Wright's defense on the merits. It's an election year, and people only exist as characters in that particular narrative. As Terry Mattingly always reminds us, if you want the media to cover religion, look for where it influences politics.
Apr 24, 2008
Wow
I missed this earlier--Michael Pfleger of Chicago's St. Sabina's getting the best of a Fox News reporter in a conversation about Jeremiah Wright.
Among other things, Fr. Pfleger schools the guy on the difference between the Martin Luther King we remember fondly and the Martin Luther King who went and got himself killed.
Ten minutes long, but worth it.
Via Folknotions.
Among other things, Fr. Pfleger schools the guy on the difference between the Martin Luther King we remember fondly and the Martin Luther King who went and got himself killed.
Ten minutes long, but worth it.
Via Folknotions.
Angryblackpastorgate: The ABP speaks, WITHOUT THE CAMPAIGN'S PERMISSION
The Caucus has a preview of Jeremiah Wright's interview w/ Bill Moyers, which airs tomorrow.
Dan Gilgoff thinks that, whatever Wright says, his being back in the news will be no good, for the Obama campaign, no good at all.
He may be right, and I certainly share his anxiety. Of course, if I were pummeled by ad hominem attacks, kept at arm's length by my friends, and physically threatened by people who, unlike me, are actual violent extremists--all for a couple lapses in facts amid years of truth--I might just go on TV and defend myself w/o thought of the political consequences for someone else, too.
Dan Gilgoff thinks that, whatever Wright says, his being back in the news will be no good, for the Obama campaign, no good at all.
He may be right, and I certainly share his anxiety. Of course, if I were pummeled by ad hominem attacks, kept at arm's length by my friends, and physically threatened by people who, unlike me, are actual violent extremists--all for a couple lapses in facts amid years of truth--I might just go on TV and defend myself w/o thought of the political consequences for someone else, too.
Still wanted: religious freedom in Russia
The NY Times has a good longer piece on Christianity since Putin came to power--a time that's been good (in a manner of speaking) for the Orthodox church but not so much for Protestants.
Shirley Dobson: No interfaith enthusiast
Whatever you think of interfaith work generally, it seems pretty obvious that the National Day of Prayer would be a good time to be fairly broadly inclusive.
Alternate takes of the parables
I've always tended to side w/ those who say that the thing about Jesus' parables is not that some of them are so cryptic so much as that Christians tend to ignore the ones that AREN'T.
Still, this is pretty funny.
Still, this is pretty funny.
Apr 23, 2008
The Cubs just won their 10,000th game ever
A one-run victory over Colorado, in 10 innings. Great game--they used up their entire bench trying to eke the thing out. There was briefly a question in the 10th as to whether right fielder Fukudome was hurt. If so, they would have had to bring in a pitcher as a position player (Zambrano at first base?).
It's always the bench management that fascinates me most. Anyway.
And now I can go to bed.
It's always the bench management that fascinates me most. Anyway.
And now I can go to bed.
If you're headed to Russia, don't give the gift of bullets
It got an American pastor a three-year sentence.
Apr 21, 2008
The pope has left the building
Amid the swarm of fairly clueless coverage of the papal visit--yes, I'm aware that I didn't really contribute much of anything to counteract this--there were some interesting pieces. Two of my favorites:
Fr. James Martin on Benedict's admission that he, too, is weak and sinful.
Ann Rodgers, dispensing w/ the standard abortion-and-sexual-abuse focus in her first phrase and then covering what was actually interesting about the pope's speech to the bishops:
Fr. James Martin on Benedict's admission that he, too, is weak and sinful.
Ann Rodgers, dispensing w/ the standard abortion-and-sexual-abuse focus in her first phrase and then covering what was actually interesting about the pope's speech to the bishops:
In a speech that delved into difficult issues from abortion to immigration and sexual abuse, Pope Benedict XVI charged U.S. bishops to do a better job of making sure that Masses are vibrant invitations to follow Jesus Christ -- or risk losing their church by attrition.(Shame about the irrelevant and inaccurate headline and dek, but don't blame Rodgers...)
Apr 16, 2008
Court upholds three-drug lethal injection
By a vote of 7-2.
From the opinion by the chief justice: "An execution method violates the Eighth Amendment [which prohibits "cruel and unusual punishment"] only if it is deliberately designed to inflict pain."
Terrific to consider that we're responsible for the suffering we collectively inflict only if we do it not just irresponsibly or recklessly but intentionally and sadistically. Explains a lot of our foreign policy, doesn't it? Though not the torture part...
From the opinion by the chief justice: "An execution method violates the Eighth Amendment [which prohibits "cruel and unusual punishment"] only if it is deliberately designed to inflict pain."
Terrific to consider that we're responsible for the suffering we collectively inflict only if we do it not just irresponsibly or recklessly but intentionally and sadistically. Explains a lot of our foreign policy, doesn't it? Though not the torture part...
Biblicism and privilege
Know any self-professed biblical literalists who tend toward either conservative, pro-The Market® economic beliefs or none at all?
Send them this link.
Send them this link.
Apr 15, 2008
Jeremiah Wright speaks
Rev. Wright gave his first sermon since Angryblackpastorgate this past Sunday. He's been keeping a pretty low profile, an understandable choice for any number of reasons. Not the least of which is the death threats. For allegedly being hateful and racist...
Will Benedict serve Communion to Sen. Kerry, Speaker Pelosi, etc.?
The Politico raises a good question.
No-fault divorce
Marriage Savers has a new anti-divorce Web site, and Kathryn Joyce doesn't like it, not one bit. Her criticism of this particular critique of no-fault divorce is certainly valid: it's fairly indifferent to the problem of domestic violence; it smells of the most reactionary sort of "fathers' rights" rhetoric; it's pretty paternalistic.
What Joyce DOESN'T do is to offer an actual defense of no-fault divorce along w/ her denouncement of one particular group of its denouncers. Here's a good, hard-to-pin-down-politically piece from a couple years ago that deals with some of the anxieties of faith-based parents (free reg. required). Among other things, it criticizes no-fault divorce laws, but from the careful center rather than the reactionary right. While many on the left no doubt have a problem w/ this argument, too, it doesn't present quite the easy target that Marriage Savers does.
What Joyce DOESN'T do is to offer an actual defense of no-fault divorce along w/ her denouncement of one particular group of its denouncers. Here's a good, hard-to-pin-down-politically piece from a couple years ago that deals with some of the anxieties of faith-based parents (free reg. required). Among other things, it criticizes no-fault divorce laws, but from the careful center rather than the reactionary right. While many on the left no doubt have a problem w/ this argument, too, it doesn't present quite the easy target that Marriage Savers does.
Apr 10, 2008
"We have to empower them to hate their civilization"
Shabana Mir asks the question we've all been dying to: "What are we going to do about American women?"
Exactly 10 percent? Whatever happened to looking down and mumbling awkwardly about "whatever you can afford"?
Good idea from the ELCA Milwaukee synod--encourage parishioners to tithe on their stimulus payments. As in 10 percent, the amount many evangelical churches insist on but most mainline churches don't.
Via Melissa Rogers.
Via Melissa Rogers.
McCain's pastor
Surprising no one did this sooner--Associated Baptist Press has a story about Sen. McCain's pastor, Dan Yeary of North Phoenix Baptist.
Via Dan Gilgoff.
Via Dan Gilgoff.
OMG, the literal resurrection?
Tom Wright--Bishop of Durham, leading conservative in the Church of England, renowned scholar--believes in things. Unlike the rest of the church, or liberals generally. And his "literal belief in the Resurrection makes him a hero to conservative Christians worldwide"!
Via Thinking Anglicans, a breathless and fairly clueless piece from the New Statesman.
Via Thinking Anglicans, a breathless and fairly clueless piece from the New Statesman.
Apr 4, 2008
You mean it isn't just a bona fide grassroots movement?
Jim Naughton points out that we still don't know who's funding the Church of Nigeria's activist efforts within the Anglican Communion.
MLK
The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated 40 years ago today. My favorites of today's many pieces:
Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite on the conservative co-opting of King's message: "Dr. King was killed because he challenged racism, militarism and economic inequality. And if you are not doing the same, you have no right to claim this legacy."
Jonathan L. Walton on how mainstream reverence is for King in 1963, not 1968--by which time he'd fallen from establishment favor.
And my special lady friend Nadia Stefko, on the Drum Major Institute blog, writing about an SEIU event celebrating Dr. King and highlighting the ongoing struggles of black workers.
Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite on the conservative co-opting of King's message: "Dr. King was killed because he challenged racism, militarism and economic inequality. And if you are not doing the same, you have no right to claim this legacy."
Jonathan L. Walton on how mainstream reverence is for King in 1963, not 1968--by which time he'd fallen from establishment favor.
And my special lady friend Nadia Stefko, on the Drum Major Institute blog, writing about an SEIU event celebrating Dr. King and highlighting the ongoing struggles of black workers.
Biblicism makes you poor!
And not just in spirit.
This new sociological study looks awfully suspicious--conservative Protestants have far less money than others. Why? They're focused on heaven instead of earth. And fewer families have two working parents.
Well okay, I guess that makes sense as far as it goes. But the rather staggering difference--a median net worth of $26,000 (in 2000) for conservative Protestants as opposed to $66,200 for the nation at large--seems like it might be about more than treasures in heaven and mommies at home. It would seem pretty important to deal with the possibility that it's in fact the financial status that motivates the religious affiliation, rather than the other way around--especially given that this particular branch of Christianity is so conversion oriented.
Modern conservative religion in this country thrives on, among other things, a narrative of cultural oppression--you know, the gay coastal feminist latte drinkers have killed school prayer, that sort of stuff. Leaving aside the question of whether this narrative is remotely true, narratives of oppression can be attractive to a society's relative have nots. And narrow, people-of-the-book doctrine thrives in a context of (real or perceived) oppression and threat--because there's much to protect against and clear bad guys to condemn. This is elementary stuff, central to understanding, say, the book of Revelation, or the Anglican Communion, or the newspaper industry's hostility to the blogosphere...
I'm getting carried away. What I mean to say is this: Is it possible that conservative Protestants have less money than others because conservative doctrine offers an appealing framework for finding meaning in being poor? Perhaps the Duke study deals with this, but the reporting here (from RNS!) doesn't say so. (It does mention that, controlled for education, age, and race, the difference remains, though it doesn't say how much the gap reduces, and the overall thrust of the thing is that conservative Protestants simply choose to have less money. I don't buy that.)
This new sociological study looks awfully suspicious--conservative Protestants have far less money than others. Why? They're focused on heaven instead of earth. And fewer families have two working parents.
Well okay, I guess that makes sense as far as it goes. But the rather staggering difference--a median net worth of $26,000 (in 2000) for conservative Protestants as opposed to $66,200 for the nation at large--seems like it might be about more than treasures in heaven and mommies at home. It would seem pretty important to deal with the possibility that it's in fact the financial status that motivates the religious affiliation, rather than the other way around--especially given that this particular branch of Christianity is so conversion oriented.
Modern conservative religion in this country thrives on, among other things, a narrative of cultural oppression--you know, the gay coastal feminist latte drinkers have killed school prayer, that sort of stuff. Leaving aside the question of whether this narrative is remotely true, narratives of oppression can be attractive to a society's relative have nots. And narrow, people-of-the-book doctrine thrives in a context of (real or perceived) oppression and threat--because there's much to protect against and clear bad guys to condemn. This is elementary stuff, central to understanding, say, the book of Revelation, or the Anglican Communion, or the newspaper industry's hostility to the blogosphere...
I'm getting carried away. What I mean to say is this: Is it possible that conservative Protestants have less money than others because conservative doctrine offers an appealing framework for finding meaning in being poor? Perhaps the Duke study deals with this, but the reporting here (from RNS!) doesn't say so. (It does mention that, controlled for education, age, and race, the difference remains, though it doesn't say how much the gap reduces, and the overall thrust of the thing is that conservative Protestants simply choose to have less money. I don't buy that.)
Apr 3, 2008
Another pastor gets it Wright
(Sorry, couldn't resist the much-abused headline pun. When I wrote my earlier post for Utne, I almost called it "Wright is Right"--get it?--till I Googled the phrase and realized just how late and how obvious I was. Okay, start reading for real now--)
While Sen. Clinton would never keep attending a church in which a pastor employed hyperbole as a rhetorical device and is dutifully appalled that Sen. Obama would--what is this "black church tradition" you speak of, Senator? Aren't you supposed to TRANSCEND race?--turns out her own pastor is a bit more sympathetic to Rev. Wright.
The Reverend Edward Matthews, UMC pastor from Arkansas, downplayed Angryblackpastorgate in a conversation w/ the NY Sun. Sen. Clinton remains a member of the Little Rock church Matthews served in the 90s.
(A point that strikes the Sun reporter as odd--it's "the only church of which Mrs. Clinton is a member"--despite the fact that it's standard to belong only to one church at a time, and it's quite common for people to retain formal membership in one church while moving and worshipping elsewhere. My own membership remains in a church I attended two cities and three churches ago. Largely because I'm not yet invested elsewhere as deeply as I was there. Anyway.)
While Sen. Clinton would never keep attending a church in which a pastor employed hyperbole as a rhetorical device and is dutifully appalled that Sen. Obama would--what is this "black church tradition" you speak of, Senator? Aren't you supposed to TRANSCEND race?--turns out her own pastor is a bit more sympathetic to Rev. Wright.
The Reverend Edward Matthews, UMC pastor from Arkansas, downplayed Angryblackpastorgate in a conversation w/ the NY Sun. Sen. Clinton remains a member of the Little Rock church Matthews served in the 90s.
(A point that strikes the Sun reporter as odd--it's "the only church of which Mrs. Clinton is a member"--despite the fact that it's standard to belong only to one church at a time, and it's quite common for people to retain formal membership in one church while moving and worshipping elsewhere. My own membership remains in a church I attended two cities and three churches ago. Largely because I'm not yet invested elsewhere as deeply as I was there. Anyway.)
OMG, James Cone?!
The Washington Times is shocked--SHOCKED--to learn that black liberation theology played a role in the founding of Trinity UCC. Liberation theology--that's just a bunch of Marxist crap, right? And black--that means angry and scary, right?
It's almost as if a couple decades of covering religion as if the conservative evangelical movement was the long and short of U.S. Protestantism has made everyone forget about, you know, major strains of religious thought that have long called for casting off oppression. Or, for that matter, the psalms...
It's almost as if a couple decades of covering religion as if the conservative evangelical movement was the long and short of U.S. Protestantism has made everyone forget about, you know, major strains of religious thought that have long called for casting off oppression. Or, for that matter, the psalms...
Al Gore, the great uniter
Who else--besides Jesus, of course--could bring Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson together?
The seven aphorisms
The Supreme Court has decided to hear Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, the case of the religious group that wants their Seven Aphorisms posted in a city park alongside the 10 Commandments.
(For anyone who's counting, there are zero Summum adherents on the Court--that's right, even fewer than there are Protestants.)
(For anyone who's counting, there are zero Summum adherents on the Court--that's right, even fewer than there are Protestants.)
Oh right, the legendary Catholic vote...
Dan Gilgoff reports that both Dem campaigns have finally hired Catholic outreach people.
A birthday party that the birthday boy might or might not attend
Julia Duin sheds light on an under-reported subject: the unofficial events that are also part of the papal visit.
Apr 1, 2008
Dobson: Hey, maybe I'll vote this fall after all
Long before John McCain sealed the nomination, James Dobson said he wouldn't vote for him "under any circumstances."
While he hasn't actually said he'll vote for McCain, he did tell Sean Hannity last night that he a) will indeed vote this fall and b) likes Obama and Clinton even less than McCain. Clearly, this means he'll be leaving the top line blank or writing in "Tommy Thompson" while focusing on all the down-ticket stuff...
What brought this change of heart, Jim? Straight Talk on foreign policy? The senator's own flip on waterboarding? Or maybe just the fact that you and your ilk pull this kind of crap every cycle, standing firmly on principle in the primary--beholden to no one but God and The Unborn!--only to fall in line behind the eventual nominee?
While he hasn't actually said he'll vote for McCain, he did tell Sean Hannity last night that he a) will indeed vote this fall and b) likes Obama and Clinton even less than McCain. Clearly, this means he'll be leaving the top line blank or writing in "Tommy Thompson" while focusing on all the down-ticket stuff...
What brought this change of heart, Jim? Straight Talk on foreign policy? The senator's own flip on waterboarding? Or maybe just the fact that you and your ilk pull this kind of crap every cycle, standing firmly on principle in the primary--beholden to no one but God and The Unborn!--only to fall in line behind the eventual nominee?
A great relief
Lots of crazy silly stuff on the internets for April 1. Ooh, what's real and what isn't?
This one isn't. But wouldn't it be great if it was? I've been toying with the idea of formally joining the Episcopal Church for some time, and this would seal the deal.
This one isn't. But wouldn't it be great if it was? I've been toying with the idea of formally joining the Episcopal Church for some time, and this would seal the deal.
Mar 31, 2008
"Breathlessness is always a problem with papal visits."
An entertaining rant from Peter Steinfels about the predictably clueless coverage of the pope's visit to the States.
Commonweal to GW: "Stop It"
A strongly worded editorial condemning the president's theological defenses of the "war on terror."
Apples and Catholics
According to the Vatican newspaper, Muslims have passed up Catholics as the world's largest religion!
Wait, you say. Shouldn't we be comparing Muslims to CHRISTIANS, or SUNNIS to Catholics? Or, as my girlfriend would say, isn't that like comparing apples and Catholics?
Well, maybe. Depends on what exactly "one true church" means, so it's always an awkward question. In this case, while the monsignor who compiles the Vatican's yearbook acknowledged this qualification, he still felt the need to tell the paper the news--ostensibly BAD news, to be downplayed, not trumpeted--that the "Muslims have overtaken us."
In other news, there are more Hindus in the world than Episcopalians. We've failed!
Wait, you say. Shouldn't we be comparing Muslims to CHRISTIANS, or SUNNIS to Catholics? Or, as my girlfriend would say, isn't that like comparing apples and Catholics?
Well, maybe. Depends on what exactly "one true church" means, so it's always an awkward question. In this case, while the monsignor who compiles the Vatican's yearbook acknowledged this qualification, he still felt the need to tell the paper the news--ostensibly BAD news, to be downplayed, not trumpeted--that the "Muslims have overtaken us."
In other news, there are more Hindus in the world than Episcopalians. We've failed!
"Yesterday’s wisdom is not tomorrow’s"
A provocative piece by Paul Oestreicher challenges the idea that Christians are/should be "people of the book." While my own view of scripture is somewhat higher that his, he's especially good when he's discussing the Bible's own resistance to being read as a singular authority:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God . . .” In the beginning, there was no Bible. The Word, the logos, is the living Christ, constantly made known in his Church and in our hearts by the Holy Spirit — the light that enlightens the world. That enlightenment is a process that goes on until the end of time.More here.
The paradox is that the New Testament texts themselves attest to the fact that they are not the last word. The Spirit is the contemporary judge over all that has been written. Jesus said, and the Spirit goes on telling us: “You have heard it said . . . but I say unto you.” Yesterday’s wisdom is not tomorrow’s. To the disciples, Jesus said: “There are many things you do not understand, but the Spirit will lead you to the truth.” He did not say: “Study the texts: it is all there,” and, significantly, did not write any texts himself.
In case you haven't yet tired of Angryblackpastorgate
Hello, I'm still here. Been running around quite a bit.
Jim Naughton has a good response to Michael "I'm a religious right shill!/I'm a thoughtful moderate!/Who am I now?!" Gerson's recent call for Obama to denounce "political extremist" Jeremiah Wright.
In short: Mike, you insist on calling yourself a member of the Anglican church of Nigeria, making Archbishop Peter Akinola your chief pastor. So, what about the plank in your own eye?
Also: the full text of the main Wright sermon in question is available here. (Hat tip to Dallas Morning News religion blog.) I'd say it largely confirms the view endorsed by me and others--the truth of the message itself rises considerably above its hyperbolic rhetorical flourishes.
Jim Naughton has a good response to Michael "I'm a religious right shill!/I'm a thoughtful moderate!/Who am I now?!" Gerson's recent call for Obama to denounce "political extremist" Jeremiah Wright.
In short: Mike, you insist on calling yourself a member of the Anglican church of Nigeria, making Archbishop Peter Akinola your chief pastor. So, what about the plank in your own eye?
Also: the full text of the main Wright sermon in question is available here. (Hat tip to Dallas Morning News religion blog.) I'd say it largely confirms the view endorsed by me and others--the truth of the message itself rises considerably above its hyperbolic rhetorical flourishes.
Mar 20, 2008
Holy Week
It's Maundy/Holy Thursday--one of my favorite days of the church year. I'm in DC, spending the week with Nadia and our church community here. Last night we had a lovely Tennebrae service, complete with a dozen or so antiphonal psalms. I sang the gospel responses with a quartet and the Christus factus as a solo.
Holy Week's always an unpredictable experience for me. I just never know how distracted I'll be.
Here's a brief meditation I wrote on the subject two years ago.
Holy Week's always an unpredictable experience for me. I just never know how distracted I'll be.
Here's a brief meditation I wrote on the subject two years ago.
"Wright is right" digest
I've already linked to a couple good pieces on what my friend John calls Blackpastorgate.
Here's a longer post I wrote yesterday for Utne, essentially a digest of that rare thing in the last few days: pieces by people who actually understand and appreciate what Jeremiah Wright is about and aren't just obsessed with the OMG-how-will-this-hurt-Obama angle.
Here's a longer post I wrote yesterday for Utne, essentially a digest of that rare thing in the last few days: pieces by people who actually understand and appreciate what Jeremiah Wright is about and aren't just obsessed with the OMG-how-will-this-hurt-Obama angle.
Mar 17, 2008
Frank Schaeffer is an American hero
All you need to know about why the Jeremiah Wright thing shouldn't really be a thing.
Actually, I'd add to Schaeffer's bold analysis that Wright and Falwell alike represent a long American tradition of pulpit jeremiads...while the statements are what they are, the hyperbole exists within a particular context.
Hey, jeremiads (and Wright) are named after some Bible guy, right? That reminds me--for further support of Wright and his (hyperbolic) statement to the effect that God has no desire to bless us when we're oppressing each other and failing to pursue justice, you could always read the prophets.
Actually, I'd add to Schaeffer's bold analysis that Wright and Falwell alike represent a long American tradition of pulpit jeremiads...while the statements are what they are, the hyperbole exists within a particular context.
Hey, jeremiads (and Wright) are named after some Bible guy, right? That reminds me--for further support of Wright and his (hyperbolic) statement to the effect that God has no desire to bless us when we're oppressing each other and failing to pursue justice, you could always read the prophets.
Reminder: get your skateboard designs in
Today is the last day to submit design ideas to the NY arch for the papal skateboard, to be presented to the pope during his stateside visit next month. I know you've been putting this off, folks, but it's time.
The photo op will no doubt do much to take away from Benedict's rather old-fashioned image...
Via Gary Stern.
Crossposted at the Posse.
The photo op will no doubt do much to take away from Benedict's rather old-fashioned image...
Via Gary Stern.
Crossposted at the Posse.
Mar 15, 2008
To some extent, it's the black church tradition, not Jeremiah Wright himself, that the rest of us find so shocking
And that's OUR problem, not Wright's or Obama's or anyone else's. It's an often prophetic, sometimes hyperbolic, always provocative tradition...
Diana Butler Bass.
Diana Butler Bass.
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