Stopped by to chat with these two boys, ages 14 & 12. They told me how they’re homeschooled & part of a church w/ a brave pastor who isn’t afraid to be political, how they want to defend Trump and the Constitution, how the election was stolen…
…how they know because of “evidence” from Newsmax, Fox News, and Mike Lindell, and how their parents drop them off on street corners a couple times a week while they run errands.
Posted with permission; they were eager to have their names and photos posted on social media. I explained why I wouldn’t and why I’d use only this photo from a distance. They were very earnest and polite.
Many honked in support while we chatted. One woman screamed in anger as she drove by.
That’s all. No great lessons here. Just sadness.
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“What I came to see after a closer examination of this history is, time & again, religious leaders—conservative evangelical leaders—actively stoked that fear...in the hearts of believers, in order--ultimately, I concluded--to consolidate their own power.
“& that we needed to flip that script, that evangelical militancy wasn't necessarily…the response to fear, even though these fears were genuine. Ev militancy…came first & then required the continual stoking of fear in hearts of followers…to justify & sustain that militancy."
“It's very easy for any of us to justify the pursuit of power in order to do what we think is good and right and true, and I think it's very hard for us to be self-critical and to interrogate...what we're doing in God's name, in particular.
Back to favorite reviews, gearing up for tomorrow's pbk release. I've been grateful for such enthusiastic responses from an array of academic disciplines. First off was @Matt_A_Sutton's beautiful review in TNR. As long as Sutton likes it, it's all good. newrepublic.com/article/158539…
I’ve been tagged in this a lot, so a couple thoughts. First, yes, shame on @Zondervan.
But what’s fascinating to me is the denial here that any of this is political. I run into this often with conservative Chrs who are fiercely political yet see their values as apolitical. 1/
“We noticed the divide in the public where some people started seeing pro-American images like the flag, the bald eagle, the statue of liberty as weaponized tools of the Republican party, and we didn’t understand that,” Kirkpatrick said. 2/
Things that prompted this Bible include homeschool parents’ fear that US history isn’t being taught in schools anymore and the removal of monuments in the wake of BLM protests.
But no, nothing political here: 3/
I've been thinking more about this quote and why I said it. The reception of Jesus and John Wayne has been incredible among evangelicals themselves who are convicted & emboldened to work for change. The problem is, most will fail. 1/6
I know, because I wrote the book on just how entrenched these power dynamics are. It's one thing to expose that, another thing entirely to dismantle it. This year I've worked in a local context to address these entrenched powers on race & justice issues, & failed miserably. 2/6
Those who tried to hold the institution accountable were rebuffed, labeled troublemakers & accused of spreading rumors (read: gossipers), the wagons were circled, defenses raised, loyalty expressed in spades, & many who worked for change are licking their wounds & walking away.
That Christian Disney dad is just the tip of the iceberg. Really smart @RDispatches piece by @joshparksviolin: "He wants to believe in magic, but wokeness is breaking the spell."
Which is a very evangelical thing, turns out... 1/8 religiondispatches.org/the-lament-of-…
"Disney cultivates loyal theme park visitors...by presenting WDW as a refuge from the real world, a literal fantasyland in which all your dreams come true. Within this fantasy, you...are the star of the show, evil is clearly defined & easily defeated, and the past is celebrated..
...as a source of comfort and inspiration. And while this ideology makes for happy guests and healthy profits, it also has deep affinities with the worldview that white evangelical Christians in America have been constructing for decades." 3/8
You guys. My Dept chair is giving our History Dept end of the year highlights in the form of Daily Wire headlines, inspired by their article on J&JW (a creative take on my History Dept colloquium earlier this year). I’m dying. Read on and see why I love my @CalvinHistory home.