Aren’t Christian stakes simply justice stakes? Not entirely. Christian ethics, and mainly Reformed Protestant and Enlightenment versions of those, shaped the U.S. Constitution. They defined what goods government was to serve, what constituted legitimate authority, and how power was to be exercised; where government power ended and individual rights began,
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Part of the fallout from this electoral season, regardless of who wins or loses, is the acrimony that has been generated by the primaries and the general campaigns. Yes, there has been mud-slinging in the past; yes, there has been controversy. But a number of commentators suggest that this election
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Lessons form a Personal Paradigm Shift I have a confession to make. I used to cringe at the word “activist.” I looked at them, and all I saw were loudmouths who wanted attention. And you know what bothered me more than activists in general? White activists. I found them overly
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Originally Published August 10, 2016 at http://publicliturgies.blogspot.com/2016/08/principalities-and-powers.html. Regardless of possible calamities with the fall elections, the two part series in the NY Times this week makes clear who’s in charge. It’s the Brookings Institute, or the American Enterprise Institute, or the Center for International Studies, etc. Two of them are
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We are in the midst of a strange election season, to say the least. I have heard more people say, “I’m just not voting,” or “I don’t have anyone to vote for,” in this election than in any other in my lifetime. In an extremely polarized society, perhaps the one
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In March 1948, theologian Reinhold Niebuhr graced the cover of Time. His appearance came at the end of two decades in which Niebuhr had risen to cultural prominence not just as a religious thinker, but also as one of the country’s foremost political leaders. Mainline Protestantism was riding high, and
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Growing up in Kansas, it was virtually impossible to learn about American politics free of a certain partisan slant. Bob Dole was ever-present: I remember voting for him in our kindergarten mock election in 1996 (Yes, they had the kindergartners voting—I’m still unsure why). And even into the early 2000s
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(Because Real Discourse Requires…) The September 6 issue of The New York Times featured an Op Ed article by David Brooks who exposed Donald Trump’s mis, dis, and simply false information about the effects of immigration on American life. But David had begun his article with something generic and anterior
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A Pentecost Sermon Preached May 15, 2016 Texts: Genesis 11:1-9, Acts 2:1-21 In the story of the Tower of Babel, humanity has come together under a single vision. They speak only one language. They are powerful and ambitious. Their goal is to build a glittering monoculture symbolized by a great
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The Potential Long-Term Effects of our Discourse this Election Season A version of this article was originally published at https://alexispmaloof.com/2015/10/12/be-sober-be-watchful-activism-and-public-discourse/. To absolutely no one’s surprise, election season is upon us again. Admittedly, it’d be hard for anyone to miss the circus surrounding this year’s historic presidential election. Its coverage in
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