Several commentators are comparing Liz Cheney’s speech tonight to Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith‘s 1950 speech, “A Declaration of Conscience.” Both were anti-McCarthy (Andrew for Cheney and Joseph for Smith) speeches. No historical analogy is perfect, but this one is...
Joseph McCarthy
Three cheers for Jamie Herrera Beutler, an evangelical Christian and a GOP congresswoman who is doing the right thing
Beutler represents Washington’s 3rd district in the House of Representatives. She has served this district for six terms. Most of the citizens in her district live in the Washington side of the Portland metropolitan area. She was one of ten...
Why Robert Jeffress Needs Socialism
This Fox News segment got some traction yesterday: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwz9lMILEqo&w=560&h=315] Comments: 1. Robert Jeffress claims that Democrats are on the wrong side of every major faith issue, especially abortion. He always pivots to abortion because he believes it is the...
Is the *Christianity Today* Editorial a Joseph Welch Moment?
A good friend recently suggested that Mark Galli’s editorial may be an evangelical “Joseph Welch” moment in the Trump presidency. Joseph Welch was the lawyer for the U.S. Army during the McCarthy hearings. Get some more context here. Now watch:...
Politicians Have Claimed to Be Victims of Lynching for a Long Time
Earlier this week, Donald Trump compared the impeachment inquiry against him to a lynching. Both Republicans and Democrats reminded Trump about the history of lynching in the United States. Over at The Washington Post, Lawrence Glickman, the Stephaen and Evalyn Milman...
National Cathedral: “Mr. Trump’s words are dangerous”
The spiritual leaders of the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. have had enough. Here is their recent press release titled “Have We No Decency?: A Response to President Trump: The escalation of racialized rhetoric from the President of the United States...
Philip Jenkins on “Witch Hunts” and Joe McCarthy
Philip Jenkins wants us to stop using the phrase “witch hunt” to describe American investigations into communism during the Cold War. The phrase, he argues, should be removed from political discourse. Here is a taste of his piece at Real...