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** When Christianity and democracy collide
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This is Past Jon, writing to you from my desk last week. If my vacation goes to plan, Current Jon will be eating lobster in Maine as you read these words. But wait, you might be thinking, how could Past Jon know what time of day I’ll open this email? What you may not have factored in is that I plan to be eating lobster around the clock.
Jokes aside, all of us in the US probably feel like we need a vacation right now. It is a stressful time to live here, with the erosion of our democracy seeming to advance with every new headline. Tragically, much of this erosion is being produced by Christian nationalists in the name of Jesus. I am as grateful as ever for the Century’s thoughtful content, and this week we have not one or two but four new pieces about the role of faith in US politics.
Scroll down for Mac Loftin’s new essay about the disturbing flip side of Christian nationalism ([link removed]) , which he calls national Christianity. Or consider Peter Marty’s reflection on the role of religious freedom ([link removed]) in our cultural landscape. For a look back to US history, check out Matthew Schlimm’s analysis of how the Bible’s “curse of Ham” ([link removed]) was used to defend slavery for centuries. And don’t miss a book review of Katherine Stewart’s Money, Lies, and God ([link removed]) .
No new video this time, since Present Jon is wandering the Maine forest.
Jon Mathieu
Email me (mailto:
[email protected]?subject=Church%20and%20state&body=Jon%2C%20) : Do you think there should be any overlap between church and state, or total separation?
(Lunchtime chats temporarily disabled during travel season!)
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** The blasphemy of national Christianity ([link removed])
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“There’s a flip side to Christian nationalism. Call it national Christianity. According to this view of things, one is never simply a Christian but is instead an American Christian, or a Mexican Christian—and those national differences outrank whatever unity we might have in Christ.”
by Mac Loftin
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** What is religious freedom for? ([link removed])
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“Does religious freedom stand at the heart of American democracy as a fundamental constitutional right, applied indiscriminately and dedicated to inclusive pluralism? Or is it code language for intolerance or Christian supremacy?”
by Peter W. Marty
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** Noah gets drunk. Then he curses Ham. ([link removed])
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“Seeing Noah’s curse as fulfilled by chattel slavery might seem like a stretch for many of us. For White people in 19th-century America, however, doubting this understanding of Noah’s words seemed like doubting the heart of Christianity.”
by Matthew Schlimm
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** In the Lectionary for September 7 (Ordinary 23C) ([link removed])
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My mother taught me what the Psalmist knew well—that a human being is one continuous interrogative prayer.
by Gary Percesepe
Ordinary 23C archives ([link removed])
Get even more lectionary resources with Sunday’s Coming Premium, an email newsletter from the editors of the Christian Century. Learn more ([link removed]) .
** Inside ‘the new American fascism’ ([link removed])
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“Katherine Stewart insightfully identifies the anxieties that lead everyday Americans to embrace what is clearly an antidemocratic and authoritarian political movement.”
review by Aaron Klink
** The word outlasts the throne ([link removed])
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“Rulers come and go, and despite all of their bluster and bullying, they are not as powerful or as permanent as they like to think.”
by Peter Choi
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