The sticky wicket of morality

I think it’s very clear, though none of us wants to say it anymore, that morality matters. That’s not to say that I always know right from wrong, or that morals are objective or should be normative. It’s difficult to even say anything about morality in these postmodern times among people attuned to cultural differences and the power of socialization. But when I see video footage of federal agents denying rights as they racially profile people, or killing unarmed protestors in the street, it seems important to society for people to be able to agree This is wrong, and we need to stop letting this happen.

Given how thorny any discourse about morality can be, I am grateful that our writers approach moral issues with thoughtfulness and wisdom. In a recent column, Peter Marty laments how self-centered our society’s notions of morality have become. Richard Lischer considers how visions of transfiguration relate to visions of evil and injustice around us. Anna Rollins’s new book, reviewed by McKenzie Watson-Fore, describes what can happen when moral vision narrows for the sake of purity culture.

Plus a timely and delightful video of the week! I chat with professor Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi, who is from Puerto Rico, about the power and meaning of Bad Bunny’s halftime performance. Scroll down for that and even more, like an insightful essay from Chris Thiessen about the dangers of an “Easter Egg Economy.”

Jon Mathieu

Morality requires other people

“Trust begins to disappear within a free society whenever we substitute personal interest for the public good. Let’s not forget how much of our life we owe to others.”

by Peter W. Marty

Seeing with clarity

“It is everyone’s civic duty to keep an eye on injustice by the light of a better vision. I think that’s what Nancy Pelosi was reaching for on January 6, 2021, when she reconvened Congress after it had been cleared of the mob and its chaos. Her first words were, ‘Today is Epiphany.’”

by Richard Lischer

VIDEO: The message of love in Bad Bunny’s performance

Professor Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi chats with Jon about the power, importance, and cultural reception of Bad Bunny and his halftime show.

In the Lectionary for February 15 (Transfiguration A)

A new beginning was dawning. Would I lean in and listen?

by Paul Lutter

Trained to disappear

“Through girlhood, marriage, and motherhood (the three sections of the memoir), Anna Rollins shows how her fundamentalist church emphasized the inherent dangers of the world and taught her to respond with hypervigilance.”

review by McKenzie Watson-Fore

Entertainment in an Easter Egg Economy

“Fandoms participate in two different sorts of pop culture detective work, and I think it’s worth making a distinction between the two.”

by Chris Thiessen