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13 Nov, 4 tweets, 1 min read
A myth says what is false in order to reveal truth.

A lie says what is false in order to obscure truth.
The myth at the core of our nation is that America provides liberty and justice for all in equal measure.

The truth underlying the myth is that equality before the law is a worthy aspiration.
We lie to ourselves when we act as though this myth reflects the reality of our present existence: we obscure the truth when we tell ourselves that the aspiration has been realized, or realized enough.
The principal division in our society—and sadly, within the American church—is between those who grasp the truth behind the myth and those who insist that the myth is in fact reality.

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More from @scott_m_coley

Scott Coley Profile picture
11 Nov
If this were true, it would be perfectly irrelevant: it is not the Church's mandate to preserve America.

But Jack's claim isn't true at all. In fact, it's the opposite of the truth.
The reason that our nation is disintegrating before our eyes is that we, as a society, lack a shared conception of justice--a common understanding of what people deserve and what we owe to each other.
So although Americans share a patch of earth, we do not share a horizon: we've degenerated into a collection of special interest groups--our highest political aspiration is to secure benefits for ourselves and those like us.
Read 8 tweets
Scott Coley Profile picture
7 Nov
Excellent question. (QT for thread)

Regarding the why: two recent books at the intersection of history and sociology address the politicization of conservative evangelicalism:
'Jesus and John Wayne', by @kkdumez ; and
'Taking America Back for God', by @socofthesacred and @ndrewwhitehead .

Both books are excellent and I commend them to anyone interested in the interplay of politics and religion in the context of American evangelicalism.
Regarding any formal connection between Mohler's official role at Southern Seminary (or within the SBC broadly) and his enthusiasm for broadcasting personal political views that are unrelated to his expertise in theology:
Read 15 tweets
Scott Coley Profile picture
2 Nov
Just one thing to add.

It is beyond ludicrous for a prince of the SBC's Conservative Resurgence to express concern over censorship among Catholics. Conservative Catholics can say just about anything they please, without fear of any reprisal whatsoever.
Censorship is the calling card of conservative Protestants who insist on ideological conformity.

Now it would be one thing if this insistence on conformity were strictly or even primarily theological.
But the worst-kept secret of the Conservative Resurgence is that the reforms of the '80s and '90s were motivated as much by devotion to cultural and political conservatism as a commitment to God's Word.
Read 8 tweets
Scott Coley Profile picture
2 Nov
As a conservative Protestant who has spent much of his professional life at Catholic institutions, I can say that this statement from Mohler shows especially poor judgment on his part.
Pope Francis’s full statement—consistent with his other statements on the subject—is supportive of civil unions *instead of* same-sex marriage, where the relevant alternatives include ‘marriage’ and ‘civil union’.
Here’s a detailed treatment of Francis’s statement in context:

patheos.com/blogs/throughc…
Read 10 tweets
Scott Coley Profile picture
1 Nov
The reason that conservative evangelicals don’t take the time to critically examine the impact of their vote on abortion policy is that their vote is over-determined: they don’t just favor overturning Roe; they also favor right-wing economic and immigration policies, etc.
When they speak of being “conflicted” about their vote, they don’t mean they’re conflicted about policy. They mean they’re conflicted about voting for a candidate who revels in his own viciousness—a man who enjoys being human poorly.

But they’re fine with his policies.
In this way, the chaos of the current political moment allows evangelicals to wring their hands and claim they’re “conflicted” about politics, while continuing to embrace the exact same iniquitous policies they’ve aided and abetted for decades now. It’s sleight of hand.
Read 7 tweets
Scott Coley Profile picture
1 Nov
Like countless pastors who’ve neglected their own children in favor of leading a church, public evangelicals like @albertmohler are now sacrificing younger generations of believers in their effort to influence a culture—
which influence is both beyond the scope of their calling as a ministers of the Gospel and, judging from the utter destruction that their culture war has visited on our public discourse, well beyond their capacity to fruitfully exercise.
I’m particularly troubled by @albertmohler ’s cavalier attempts to minimize his own contradictory public statements by dismissing previous comments as merely "dumb" or careless. Such explanations shouldn’t satisfy his own conscience, let alone the church.

Read 9 tweets

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