Liz Charlotte Grant’s Christian Century piece on the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy begins this way: “On October 25, 1978, about 250 White men strode across the orange carpet of the Chicago Hyatt Regency O’Hare’s lobby with a ten-dollar theological […]
Bible
The “Ephesians 6:11” thesis of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump
I’ve been hearing a lot of calls for national unity today. Those calling for such unity believe that Thomas Matthew Crooks’s assassination attempt of Donald Trump will somehow bring the country together. Even Trump’s staunchest critics have rightly condemned the […]
Trump proves he is “pro-God” by hawking the Lee Greenwood (“a very special guy”) “God Bless the USA” Bible
Watch: A few quick thoughts: On the Lee Greenwood Bible, check out Jay Green’s piece, “Lee Greenwood Christianity.” Is Trump doing this to raise money to help pay his bond in the Stormy Daniels hush-money case? If so, he is […]
A revealing episode of the television drama “The West Wing” is making its rounds on social media:
Watch:
Finding common ground with book banners
There’s not much common ground to be had, but I appreciate writer Garret Keizer’s piece today at The New York Times. A taste: More than half a century has passed since I graduated from high school, an eon in digital […]
Former Trump NSA Michael Flynn to pastors: “Put the Bible aside and read the Constitution during some of your sermons”
The latest from the Michael Flynn: I cannot find the context for this talk. Perhaps someone can help me on that front and I will add it to the post. But this is Christian nationalism in its most extreme form. […]
“America’s commitment to independence shaped how Americans utilized the Bible from the very beginning.”
When you hear presidential candidates like Tim Scott and Mike Pence quote the Bible on the campaign trail for the purposes of advancing their political agendas, please realize that this is not a new thing. Here is a taste of […]
Donald Trump Jr. is hawking a Bible
Act quickly. I imagine these “We the People” Bibles will sell out faster than the Trump digital trading cards and the Trump-King Cyrus prayer coins. 😉 Here is Donald Jr.: For $69.99 you can buy a King James Version of […]
When you start banning books that are “objectionable” to parents, stuff like this is bound to happen.
A Florida man wants to ban the Bible from public schools. He wonders if Florida parents really want their kids exposed to rape, bestiality, cannibalism and infanticide. Psalm 137:9 says: “Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes […]
The Author’s Corner with Mark Noll
Mark Noll is retired Professor of History at Wheaton College and the University of Notre Dame. This interview is based on his new book, America’s Book: The Rise and Decline of a Bible Civilization, 1794-1911 (Oxford University Press, 2022). JF: What […]
Even the devil can quote scripture
Shakespeare was right in the “The Merchant of Venice.” In a Hitler-like rally in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, the site of the 2018 World Cup final, Russian president Vladimir Putin told a gathered crowd of reportedly 200,000 (according to Moscow Police) […]
The Author’s Corner with Jeremy Schipper
Jeremy Schipper is Professor of Religion at Temple University. This interview is based on his new book, Denmark Vesey’s Bible: The Thwarted Revolt That Put Slavery and Scripture on Trial (Princeton University Press, 2022). JF: What led you to write […]
The Great MyPillow Airlift
Forget about the Berlin Airlift. Mike “MyPillow Guy” Lindell is planning a Canadian airlift. You can’t make this stuff up. Here is Zachary Petrizzo of The Daily Beast: After his initial Tuesday shipment of MyPillow products was denied entry into Canada, Mike Lindell now […]
Nudity in the Bible?
There were a lot of pictures of naked people in 19th-century Bibles. Here is historian Joseph Slaughter at The Panorama: Every now and then, work in the archives produces moments that jar us out of our misplaced assumptions. The biggest […]
The “ultimate American Bible”
Some of you recall Jay Green’s Current piece “Lee Greenwood Christianity.” Read it here. Over at Slate, Molly Olmstead reports on the Greenwood-inspired God Bless the USA Bible. Here is a taste: In May, controversy over “the ultimate American Bible” briefly […]
The American Bible Society in the days following September 11, 2001
From The Bible Cause: A History of the American Bible Society: One of the highpoints of the ABS engagement with its home in New York City occurred following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the towers of the World […]
Is there a link between complementarianism and the proper evangelical response to mask wearing?
Some evangelical groups facing mask mandates in their local school districts are sharing sample religious exemption forms that their fellow evangelicals can use. Here is one that came across my feeds today: I, _________, hereby state that I have chosen […]
Joe Biden: Please stop using the Bible in political speeches
After a busy first week of classes I am finally getting around to this story. In the past I have been very critical of politicians who use the Bible to advance political ends. In the last administration I was particularly […]
Election fraud “expert” testifies at Texas State Senate hearing. Quotes 2 Peter 1:10 on “election.”
Watch: The woman speaking in this video is Dr. Laura Pressley. She is testifying on election fraud before the Texas State Senate Committee on State Affairs. You can watch her entire testimony at the 12:28:20 mark of this video. What […]
Bible Passage of the Day
2 Corinthians: 5:17-21 (RSV): 17 Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the […]