Grieve First, Tell Stories Later: Notes on Tragedy and Ideological Opportunism
On Monday, bombs went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, and today we’re tempted to tell stories when we ought to be grieving. The pundits have already started. (Apparently the first rule of punditry is that it would be irresponsible not to speculate irresponsibly.) Chris Matthews wondered whether far-right, anti-tax groups were [...]
Less Truth, Please: A Rational Argument in Defense of Irrational Persuasion
In high school I had a class on Early British Literature. It was a lot like most other high school English classes. We would read, listen to lectures, and have group discussions. Then about halfway through the course a handful of students turned it into a game. They all assigned themselves topics that they were [...]
Jesus, The Bible, and Foodstamps: Can a Christian Be Against The Welfare State?
Conservative and liberal Christians disagree about a lot of things, but I think the two camps are basically in agreement when it comes to the morality of social safety net programs like TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and the SNAP program (more commonly known as “food stamps”). These taxpayer-funded social programs are, depending on [...]
Reasons Theism vs. Atheism is a Mostly Silly Issue
Of all the things to which humans ascribe tremendous social and moral worth, the question of whether or not God exists is, to my way of thinking, one of the silliest. It’s silly because it doesn’t actually carry the meaning or importance that people like to think it carries. Beyond that, it often functions as [...]
More Immigrants, Please
Cross-posted at my personal blog. The AP is reporting that the Obama administration will stop deporting youths who are DREAM Act eligible. This is unambiguously good news unless you’re upset that a key Democratic voting bloc (Latinos) might be more prone to support the President going into the 2012 election. I’m enthusiastically supporting this policy, [...]
In Defense of Snake Handling
The Rev. Mark Wolford, a popular snake-handling, Pentecostal minister, has died. The cause of death was a rattlesnake bite. A little bit of basic background: Snake-handling churches are mostly confined to Appalachia. The practice is rooted in Jesus’ post-Resurrection pronouncement towards the end of the Gospel of Mark. Chapter 16: 17-18 reads, “And these signs [...]
Planned Parenthood Firebombing and Nazi Equivalencies: When Rhetoric Really is Complicity
Last year, in the aftermath of a shooting that critically injured U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford, the news cycle and American politicians entered a protracted debate on the relationship between militant rhetoric and acts of violence. USA Today asked, “Has the nation’s harsh political rhetoric become more than just talk — to the point of being [...]
Eternity Revitalized: A Lenten Sermon on the Victory of Love over Blandness
The following is adapted from a sermon delivered at The United Church of Cookeville in Cookeville, TN on March 18th. You may be aware of today’s New Testament reading if you live in America and have a pulse. Most notably, John 3:16—“ For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so [...]
A Response to Conservative Commentary on the National Prayer Breakfast
The far-right echo-chamber blogosphere has produced some interesting material in the aftermath of President Obama’s speech at the National Prayer Breakfast. Pundit Erick Erickson responded with an article titled “The Perversion of the Words of Our Lord Jesus Christ by the Sinner Barack H. Obama.” It is, as you probably picked up from the title, [...]
Basic Facts: Everyone’s Responsibility
It is almost as if some people are intentionally stretching the bounds of what can pass as reality. At a campaign stop on Monday, Rick Santorum fielded a question from a woman who claimed that Barack Obama is “an avowed Muslim.” She added also that “he has no legal right to be president.” (Yes, birtherism [...]
Jared Hillary Ruark
Hello! I'm a student at Vanderbilt Divinity School seeking ordination in the United Church of Christ. You can follow me on Twitter @JHRuark.
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Contributing Scholars
Danielle Elizabeth TumminioThe Reverend Danielle Elizabeth Tumminio is ordained in The Episcopal Church and has taught a variety of educational institutions, including Yale University. She is completing a doctoral degree in practical theology at Boston University, where she researches reproductive loss and assisted reproductive technologies. She is also the author of "God and Harry at Yale: Faith and Fiction in the Classroom" (Unlocking Press, 2010).
Jenn LindsayJenn Lindsay is a PhD student in Boston University's Division of Religious and Theological Studies, where she studies how religion affects personal relationships, particularly interreligious relationships. She earned her Masters Degree at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where her program focus was Interfaith Relations and she served as co-chair of the Interfaith Caucus and the student senate Minister of Fun. She hails from San Diego and worked for a decade in New York City as an independent musician and filmmaker.