Unbound: The Election Issue
Elections, Democracy, and the Church in the Public Square
A Statement by ACSWP in Response to the US 2016 Elections* Grace and Peace in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, We write you at a time of great national tension. The recent campaign has exposed deep divisions in our national life. We are like a family that has
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This article was originally published on November 9, 2016 on Denise’s blog, ‘SOULa Scriptura” at The United States of America has elected Donald Trump its next president. It’s sinking in as I type that. We (the royal “we”) elected Donald Trump, a beloved child of the Most High God. We
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Taking the High Ground in Texas Texas is not generally a swing state, though if congressional and state representation districts were drawn differently, more states would have fewer permanent incumbents. Until the Electoral College is eliminated, the votes of some states will be valued more highly than those in other
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The Voice of a Congregation on Faith & Politics: Nauraushaun Presbyterian Church, Pearl River, NY In the brief statement that follows, a congregation first lifts up key values—not policies or positions—and then calls out divisive rhetoric. They go to scriptural themes and the Book of Confessions. We would note the
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“I believe you.” We should never underestimate the power of these words. What’s more, God calls us, as people of faith, to speak these words in our relationships and our larger communities. Though voiced aloud, the words “I believe you” are not solely a verbal statement. They represent a posture
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Being involved in the church and in the community brings a great deal of responsibility. As a 26-year-old active Presbyterian and elected City Councilwoman in Harrisburg, PA, I learn more about that responsibility each day. One might think being actively involved in both the religious and political spheres would be
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Since you are reading Unbound, I suspect you are appalled, as I am, by the prospect of a Trump presidency, and that you are going to vote for Hillary Clinton on November 8. According to the binary logic of American electoral politics, the only way to stop Trump is to
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If I remember correctly, the classroom in Tennent Hall had a half moon window. I can still see the faces gathered around the table that day in 1992, still feel the familiar, smooth feel of a laminated church tabletop beneath my fingers. We were on the second floor, so we
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Back in 2005, I wrote an essay entitled “Shame as a Political Virtue.” [1] It began as follows: I was standing in the checkout line at Blockbuster Video and couldn’t help but notice two young boys running wild near by. One of them ran beside a shelf with toys on
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There is no debate about climate change. We’re not talking about the fact that the scientific consensus is overwhelming (though that’s true). We’re talking about the fact that climate change wasn’t the subject of a single question during the presidential debates. Our political discourse right now is deafeningly silent about
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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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So we all know how we are supposed to pay attention to the 2016 election. Watch CNN or Fox or MSNBC at least six hours a day for the latest breaking “news alerts.” Feel outrage. Follow the polls and see how they are moving, preferably every day. Feel anxious. Retweet
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Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published as the lead article in the September/October 2008 issue of The Progressive Christian and later appeared as the lead article in Faith & the Common Good: The Best of Zion’s Herald and The Progressive Christian, 200-2011, A Limited Collectors’ Edition (ed. Stephen
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