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Election2016

As Close as our Very Breath

A Sermon for Those Who Feel Afraid Text: John 20:19-25 Ask a scholar about the word “breathe” and she will tell you that this is the only place in the entire New Testament where this word shows up. Surely they

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As Close as our Very Breath

15 mins read

A Sermon for Those Who Feel Afraid Text: John 20:19-25 Ask a scholar about the word “breathe” and she will tell you that this is the only place in the entire New Testament where this word shows up. Surely they breathed more than once back then, but maybe they didn’t

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The Limits of Binary Politics

12 mins read

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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Shame as a Political Virtue

14 mins read

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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Christian Stakes in an Election When Civility and Civil Religion Seem Dead

16 mins read

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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Who Are the Trump Voters? Are they Not Loved by God?

11 mins read

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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