Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Just a lifting of the veil for the ending of the world

Just a lifting of the veil for the ending of the world

Last updated on: January 23, 2023 at 5:58 am by Fred Clark

0 Comments

Just a lifting of the veil for the ending of the world 2023-01-23T05:58:37-05:00 Fred Clark

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

• I agree with Richard Ostling here: “By coincidence, both party leaders [in the House of Representatives] are now Baptists. … There would be good feature potential in comparing the two Baptists’ congregations.”

Probational Acting Speaker Kevin McCarthy is a member of Valley Baptist, a large white Southern Baptist congregation in Bakersfield. His pastor, Roger Spradlin, is a former chair of the SBC’s national executive committee and a graduate of Criswell College — named for its founder, the segregationist Dallas pastor W.A. Criswell.

Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is a lifelong member of Cornerstone Baptist — a Black Baptist congregation thriving in Brooklyn since 1917.

Both Baptist churches describe themselves as “Bible-based,” looking to “the Word of God – originally given by God, divinely inspired, infallible, entirely trustworthy, and the only supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct. (II Timothy 3:16)” That quote is from Cornerstone’s website, but I think Pastor Spradlin and the other folks at Valley Baptist would say “Amen” to that language.

This is what makes the “Baptist diversity” Ostling highlights so interesting. The theological language of white Baptists and Black Baptists is often identical. But the meaning of that language is often radically different.

How that meaning differs and why that meaning differs isn’t a mystery. And once you acknowledge that — the how and why of the way those different meanings came to be, it’s also obvious which one of those meanings is better.

• Here’s the news from my next-door neighbors in Lancaster County: “Conservative Christian Rifts Spreading Like Cracked Glass.”

Doug Mastriano’s white-Christian-nationalist campaign for Pennsylvania governor brought together various factions of conservative white Christians in Lancaster. And when they all came together in one room, they realized they hate each other almost as much as they hate feminists, gays, Jews, and Black people.

When you’re dealing with different groups who each base their self-understanding and sense of identity on the idea that “We Alone Are The Real, True Christians Standing For Truth Against The Apostates,” then they’re bound to start fighting almost as soon as they’re introduced. Their shared commitment to white supremacy and to theocratic postmillennialism isn’t enough to overcome that. They were briefly able to set aside their differences to hold prayer rallies for Mastriano, or to come together to attack police officers in the Jan. 6 riots. But now they’re at each other’s throats.

Here in Lancaster, the Neo-Confederate (and Nazi-adjacent) Reconstructionists have declared war on the neo-charismatic New Apostolic Reformation.

“Let them fight.”

• Serial convert and white conservative Rod Dreher is moving to Budapest because, he says — quoting Michel Houllebecq — “There is no Israel for people like us.” What does he mean by “people like us”? Oh, you know what he means.

I’m hoping this becomes a trend and that all of the American admirers of Viktor Orbán’s white nationalist authoritarianism decide to join Dreher in moving there.

• Rick Pidcock interviews Cynthia Vacca Davis, author of Intersexion: A Story of Faith, Identity, and Authenticity, which tells the story of Danny, an intersex person who was raised in conservative white evangelicalism. As Pidcock notes, that’s not a great context to grow up in for someone who’s intersex:

In an article at The Gospel Coaltion, Denny Burk called intersex people a “morally confounding situation,” an “ethical challenge,” and a “problem.” Rather than offering any helpful thoughts, Burk responded by lamenting progressive and liberal Christians committing a “sustained assault on what the Bible teaches about gender and sexuality” in a “Bible-ignoring zeitgeist.”

It is monstrous to raise a child telling them that their very existence constitutes a “morally confounding situation,” an “ethical challenge,” and a “problem.” But then it’s also monstrous to say such a thing to a fully grown adult.

This bit of advice from Davis seems wise:

Statistically, almost everyone knows someone who is intersex, but most will never know that because it’s too dangerous for an intersex person to be vulnerable and transparent unless they have a reasonable expectation that you are someone they can trust. If you have a history of having strong, negative, anti-LGBTQ opinions, you likely do know intersex people — they just aren’t telling you about it.

• Mondo Cozmo’s “Electrify My Love” — quoted in the title of this post — checks a lot of boxes for me, what with the literally apocalyptic lyrics and the fact that Josh Ostrander is from Philly. But it’s also just a really great song (even if, or because, the melody of the verses seems to borrow from Colbie Caillat):

Uncategorized

Previous Post

January 21, 2023

Smart people saying smart things (1.21.23)

Next Post

January 23, 2023 Thou shalt not suffer a witch-hunter

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"I had not heard until now: Meta was blocking pro-Lula accounts and promoting pro-Bolsonaro ones. ..."

Ross

Cycling down the widening gyre

"Played well to the crowd though, because he was demonstrating how Talarico ... likes meat. ..."

Jim Roberts

Cycling down the widening gyre

"We're going to be the biggest, bestest place for fascists to flee their reckonings.It's very ..."

Ross

Cycling down the widening gyre

"Pity."

Rakka

Playlists and pluralism

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category class warfare evangelicals Iraq Left Behind Mammon music Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the mother of John Mark, whose house was a place of prayer in Jerusalem?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Tabitha Lydia Mary Priscilla