On Sunday this week my friend and former seminary colleague Liz Fulmer preached a sermon about Esther, Haman, and Mordecai from the book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. At a key point in both the story in Esther and in the pastor's sermon, there came the phrase, "for just such a time as this." …
Tag: faith
Hooked on a feeling
The Democratic National Convention to nominate Kamala Harris and Tim Walz ended last night. It was four days of raucous crowds, feel-good vibes, and high energy that was filled with memorable speeches, and many moving moments. The display of American diversity was beautiful to see in the sea of faces that made up the crowd …
Let’s talk about the N.A.R.
Last week I was able to attend an online webinar hosted by Political Research Associates (PRA) that was related to the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement and Christian reconstructionism. The panel was led by leading scholars of right-wing, authoritarian Christian movements in the U.S. and added to the information I have previously learned as I …
The selective outrage of shallow faith
The quadrennial Olympic celebration of athletic prowess is well underway in Paris, but one of the biggest talking points has not been about the amazing feats in the world of sport, but a misunderstood interpretation of the Olympic Opening Ceremony. For most people, this was nothing more than an artistic display paying homage to the …
Josh Hawley wears no clothes
When I was in sixth grade my elementary class in Blue Ridge, Texas put on a production of The Emperor Has No Clothes. As I was the newest student in the class, having moved from Kansas City, MO to north Texas, I volunteered to perform in the play and was given a role as one …
Why the Ten Commandments?
Louisiana, a state ranking near the bottom in multiple categories including education, has drafted legislation that mandates that the Ten Commandments be prominently displayed in every public school and state funded college or university classroom. It was signed into law by Republican governor Jeff Landry last week. Given Louisiana's woeful rankings for education, economy, public …
So what.
It's Pride month and that means that the conservative Christians are up in arms once again because the LGBTQ+ community has the temerity to not only exist, but to also say that they deserve the same rights, liberties, and protection from discrimination as everyone else. Some fundamentalist type Christians are bearing false witness by claiming …
“You’re not a theologian…”
Something that happens a lot on social media is that someone will respond to something I have posted with a variant of "You're not a theologian!" Generally this is because I have made a theological claim that contradicts a conservative Christians theological assumptions and beliefs, such as "being LGBTQIA is neither a sin nor a …
Let’s talk about cherry picking the Bible
As a progressive theologian I get accused rather often of cherry picking the Bible. The people who level this accusation at me typically do so because I am so vocal about social justice and in my support for the LGBTQIA community. These conservative Christians claim that because I say that being LGBTQIA is neither a …
Let’s get biblically literal: Abortion
For over fifty years the Christian right in the United States has been attempting to ban abortion. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, the faux pro-life conservative Christians have been doubling down in their misogynistic attempts to control women's bodies. Take the 2023 "Statement on Christian Nationalism and the Gospel," a manifesto of …
The Tattooed Theologian 