What's bad for the state can be worse for the church. Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and all religious minorities are assaulted by even implicit claims of a "Christian nation," but so are Christians. A government that blesses itself in the name of Jesus Christ, while waging war and advancing empire, must first demolish the meaning of who that man was - three centuries before Constantine.
Oct 15, 2007
"An apostate religion"
James Carroll on the idea of a "Christian nation." He overreaches a bit, but his overall point is right on:
Obama on faith and the environment
This is not Obama the bold groundbreaker but rather Obama the joiner, making for particularly predictable rhetoric. Still, when you're right you're right.
The Catch 22 of electability
This Politico piece sums up Mike Huckabee's campaign woes effectively.
After all the trash they've talked, if the religious right leaders end up falling in line behind one of the GOP frontrunners--as opposed to supporting Huckabee or Brownback or actually following through on their threats to bolt the party--then they will fully deserve the party disregard that will no doubt follow.
After all the trash they've talked, if the religious right leaders end up falling in line behind one of the GOP frontrunners--as opposed to supporting Huckabee or Brownback or actually following through on their threats to bolt the party--then they will fully deserve the party disregard that will no doubt follow.
Things I missed while I was away
In case you missed them, too:
The culture-war-victory-so-watered-down-it-seems-pretty-silly award goes to the Illinois legislature.
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is now offering homemaking classes. "'My created purpose as a woman is to be a helper,' [student Emily] Felts said firmly. 'This is a college education that I can use.'" Kyrie eleison.
Unlike some folks, I'm fairly enthusiastic about much of what Christianity Today has to offer. But their short-form Web-only content has this annoying tendency to take a mocking tone as it describes (with varying fairness) the views of more liberal people of faith. Case in point: this little gem on Out in Scripture. "The approach has a certain appeal to those who respect Scripture but don't understand it." While I have mixed feelings about Human Rights Campaign, evangelicals need to acknowledge that this sort of smugness does precious little to help a situation in which large numbers of Christians are deeply suspicious of and hostile toward each other.
New study: outlawing abortion doesn't make it any less common. This should draw anti-abortion folks into consensus-driven movements to reduce the need for abortion w/o criminalization, right? Wrong.
Very interesting debate over at Cato Unbound called Politics and Religion, Home and Abroad. Features Mark Lilla, Philip Jenkins, and others.
This is unprecedented: a letter about peace from a whole bunch of Muslim leaders to a whole bunch of Christian leaders.
At Grist: a conversation between two of the most eloquent sustainable food writers I know of.
The culture-war-victory-so-watered-down-it-seems-pretty-silly award goes to the Illinois legislature.
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is now offering homemaking classes. "'My created purpose as a woman is to be a helper,' [student Emily] Felts said firmly. 'This is a college education that I can use.'" Kyrie eleison.
Unlike some folks, I'm fairly enthusiastic about much of what Christianity Today has to offer. But their short-form Web-only content has this annoying tendency to take a mocking tone as it describes (with varying fairness) the views of more liberal people of faith. Case in point: this little gem on Out in Scripture. "The approach has a certain appeal to those who respect Scripture but don't understand it." While I have mixed feelings about Human Rights Campaign, evangelicals need to acknowledge that this sort of smugness does precious little to help a situation in which large numbers of Christians are deeply suspicious of and hostile toward each other.
New study: outlawing abortion doesn't make it any less common. This should draw anti-abortion folks into consensus-driven movements to reduce the need for abortion w/o criminalization, right? Wrong.
Very interesting debate over at Cato Unbound called Politics and Religion, Home and Abroad. Features Mark Lilla, Philip Jenkins, and others.
This is unprecedented: a letter about peace from a whole bunch of Muslim leaders to a whole bunch of Christian leaders.
At Grist: a conversation between two of the most eloquent sustainable food writers I know of.
Oct 11, 2007
Third Way report and a long weekend
Some friends and I are off to the Blue Ridge Mountains for a three-day weekend. I'm never goin' to see you any more, more, more...until Sunday or Monday, when I return to the internets.
I'm taking the new Third Way report with me. Expect I'll write about it a bit when I return.
I'm taking the new Third Way report with me. Expect I'll write about it a bit when I return.
Oct 10, 2007
Freedom isn't even CHEAP
Good story from The Onion about the rising price of freedom.
Though I'm pretty sure my friends Jim and John and I scooped them on this (anonymously) back when we were interns at Sojourners.
Though I'm pretty sure my friends Jim and John and I scooped them on this (anonymously) back when we were interns at Sojourners.
Oct 9, 2007
Black clergy meeting on HIV/AIDS
This is exciting, especially to those of use who live in DC, where the infection rates are startlingly high.
Safer than walking
Alan Durning has a great overview of the facts on the relative safety of cycling.
For me, it's slightly less safe than it used to be, as someone ripped off my headlight and my rearview mirror, and I haven't replaced them. But I still have the bike--my fourth (each of the first three was stolen).
For me, it's slightly less safe than it used to be, as someone ripped off my headlight and my rearview mirror, and I haven't replaced them. But I still have the bike--my fourth (each of the first three was stolen).
This might be the worst thing I've ever heard
ICE wants to sedate an Albanian man before deporting him--to keep him from freaking out about the fact that he's likely to be assassinated (for being a good citizen!) shortly after getting off the plane.
Were someone to smear me for "blaming America first" or whatever, I'd have trouble mustering the enthusiasm to defend my patriotism right now.
Were someone to smear me for "blaming America first" or whatever, I'd have trouble mustering the enthusiasm to defend my patriotism right now.
Oct 8, 2007
Challenging the Speaker's prayer life
This is pretty raging. I know it's no secret that we bleeding hearts hate Fox News, but come on.
Via War Room, a transcript excerpt from Chris Wallace talking to Rep. Pelosi:
Via War Room, a transcript excerpt from Chris Wallace talking to Rep. Pelosi:
Wallace: You said the other day that you were praying for President Bush . . .Pelosi handles herself quite well, I'd say.
Pelosi: Yes.
Wallace: ... to change his mind about vetoing SCHIP. Do you pray for our soldiers to win in Iraq?
Pelosi: Of course I do.
Wallace: To win?
Pelosi: Of course I do. Of course. What a question.
First of all, I pray for President Bush all the time, and I prayed especially hard that he would sign the children's health bill because it's so important to America's children.
Wallace: When you pray for President Bush, what do you pray for?
Pelosi: I pray that -- well, at the same as I pray for him, I pray for America's children and that there can be some compatibility in their thinking. But I pray for his health, his well being. I pray that he makes the right decisions for the American people. But when I . . .
Wallace: Do you ever pray for him to change his policies?
Pelosi: All the time. But let me draw a line. When I was growing up in politics, we were always told that we shouldn't pray for a political outcome, that we just pray that God's will would be done.
We pray for the children. We pray for poor people. And we pray for people who need help. And we always, always, always pray for our men and women in uniform who make our freedom to pray possible.
Oct 5, 2007
It's ethanol-pander time!
David Roberts has an entertaining rant about Fred Thompson's particularly dubious argument in favor of corn ethanol subsidies.
Remember that episode of The West Wing where Santos lets Josh convince him to pander to the Iowa ethanol people and Vinick says what he really thinks and then the two campaigns happen to meet in a hotel restaurant or whatever and chat w/ each other and Santos is ashamed that he wasn't as bold and honest and full-of-integrity as Vinick and everyone watching says "Alan Alda's so great--remember M*A*S*H, the show not the movie?--and this show really treats conservatives with respect, even though it's fairly liberal" and the ratings briefly started to recover before continuing to plummet as they had been for two or three seasons?
That was a good one.
Remember that episode of The West Wing where Santos lets Josh convince him to pander to the Iowa ethanol people and Vinick says what he really thinks and then the two campaigns happen to meet in a hotel restaurant or whatever and chat w/ each other and Santos is ashamed that he wasn't as bold and honest and full-of-integrity as Vinick and everyone watching says "Alan Alda's so great--remember M*A*S*H, the show not the movie?--and this show really treats conservatives with respect, even though it's fairly liberal" and the ratings briefly started to recover before continuing to plummet as they had been for two or three seasons?
That was a good one.
The old "take my millions of constituents and go home" trick
As John Potter pointed out in the comments, my previous post had a confusing title. No, I can't imagine Huckabee would bolt from the GOP to run on a third-party ticket. I can't even imagine Dobson et al. following through on their threat at all--that's obviously not the point. But watching/hearing various religious right folks shill for this thing in the last couple days, it seems pretty clear that Huckabee's the guy they heart, and there's a lot of time left for him to emerge as a more "serious" candidate.
On the other hand, this Globe story about the Romney campaign's reaction to all this is interesting. Romney's the only one of the top four whom Dobson hasn't basically denounced. At any rate, I'd be willing to bet this whole incident is going to lead to significant gains in the polls and fundraising for Huckabee, Romney, or both.
I wonder if Romney (a documented flip-flopper!) would have an (even) harder time in the general than (the extremely likable) Huckabee would. But the education the country would get in the realities of mainstream LDS folks would be a positive thing regardless.
On the other hand, this Globe story about the Romney campaign's reaction to all this is interesting. Romney's the only one of the top four whom Dobson hasn't basically denounced. At any rate, I'd be willing to bet this whole incident is going to lead to significant gains in the polls and fundraising for Huckabee, Romney, or both.
I wonder if Romney (a documented flip-flopper!) would have an (even) harder time in the general than (the extremely likable) Huckabee would. But the education the country would get in the realities of mainstream LDS folks would be a positive thing regardless.
Oct 4, 2007
A theoretical third-party candidate--let's call him "Hike Muckabee"
Via Faith in Public Life:
New Rasmussen poll confirms the continuing strength of the anti-abortion movement within the GOP.
It's been awhile since I've ranted here about the "Evangelicals are Going Progressive!" narrative and the difference between values and priorities. But I've just done so in a comment over at Melissa Rogers' (terrific) blog.
New Rasmussen poll confirms the continuing strength of the anti-abortion movement within the GOP.
It's been awhile since I've ranted here about the "Evangelicals are Going Progressive!" narrative and the difference between values and priorities. But I've just done so in a comment over at Melissa Rogers' (terrific) blog.
This week...
...is shaping up to be a relatively blquiet one from blme. Lots going on, not the least of which is watching the Cubs play the late playoff games last night and tonight (starting at 10 p.m. out here, my prime blogging time). Also preparing to play a show this Saturday, my first in some time.
But I'll at least put up a couple more links and short posts. Just so you don't run out of things to read on the Webnet....
But I'll at least put up a couple more links and short posts. Just so you don't run out of things to read on the Webnet....
Oct 2, 2007
On the paganized sabbath
CT has an interesting excerpt from Craig Harline's new book Sunday: A History of the First Day From Babylonia to the Superbowl.
I've always been particularly fascinated by the Sunday/Saturday thing, as my family's heritage is in the small Seventh Day Baptist denomination.
I've always been particularly fascinated by the Sunday/Saturday thing, as my family's heritage is in the small Seventh Day Baptist denomination.
Oct 1, 2007
"They did not get our permission before they arrived"
In this AP story from last week, Archbishop-elect Kwashi gets a bit more explicit about the postcolonial tension with which the Anglican conflict is packed.
Behind the newer, friendlier nuclear power
Peter Montague, guest-posting at Gristmill, makes a particularly compelling case against nuclear energy.
See also Jim Rice's recent cover piece for Sojourners.
See also Jim Rice's recent cover piece for Sojourners.
Threatening the GOP
The religious right heavyweights are upping the anti-Giuliani talk.
Perhaps this will hurt Giuliani's campaign, though if issues of "electability" or whatever were going to stop him from leading in the polls, you'd think the campaign would have imploded, you know, as soon as the controversial, prickly, generally unsavory candidate declared.
At any rate, I'm more interested in the Democratic takeaway--will they get the message that winning actual conservative religious votes is not as simple as establishing themselves as no more hostile to religion than this cycle's crop of Republican front-runners?
I'm also interested in Gov. Huckabee's response, should he choose to do so at all. I tend to react to him the same way many evangelicals do to Sen. Obama--I may disagree him on many of the issues, but I appreciate his attitude and his ability. But this could be a tricky spot for him--if forced to distance himself from either the party establishment or the religious right, each of which he needs and will continue to need in his career, which will he choose? He's not much of a question avoider or triangulator, so could be interesting...
Perhaps this will hurt Giuliani's campaign, though if issues of "electability" or whatever were going to stop him from leading in the polls, you'd think the campaign would have imploded, you know, as soon as the controversial, prickly, generally unsavory candidate declared.
At any rate, I'm more interested in the Democratic takeaway--will they get the message that winning actual conservative religious votes is not as simple as establishing themselves as no more hostile to religion than this cycle's crop of Republican front-runners?
I'm also interested in Gov. Huckabee's response, should he choose to do so at all. I tend to react to him the same way many evangelicals do to Sen. Obama--I may disagree him on many of the issues, but I appreciate his attitude and his ability. But this could be a tricky spot for him--if forced to distance himself from either the party establishment or the religious right, each of which he needs and will continue to need in his career, which will he choose? He's not much of a question avoider or triangulator, so could be interesting...
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