Other Opinions

The ongoing protest of the election is not about a search for truth; it is an attempt to shape truth to suit the desires of the powerful. President Trump wasn’t making a legal or a factual argument. He was using his power to put a thumb on the scales.

If there was one thing of value to come out of the shameful chaos of Wednesday’s attack on the U.S. Capitol, it’s that the horrific events made plain the powerful ideological and theological currents of American politics that often stay just under the surface.

C.S. Lewis’s often overlooked final chapter of the Chronicles of Narnia still speaks to us today. The end of the world begins with a con. A little lie, told by a petty grifter, leads to another lie, and then another, and finally to the unraveling of the ties that bind us together.

History teaches that messianic hopes lead to poor outcomes for the societies that embrace them. Yet, they continue to surface — even today, with the elevation of Donald Trump by some to messiah-like status.

The coronavirus restrictions placed on houses of worship by the state of New York — which the Supreme Court blocked in a recent 5-4 decision — is back under consideration. Meanwhile, the pandemic continues to record gruesome new highs. How should Christians react?

Advent and Christmas remind us God can still surprise us, surprise us with mystery, and surprise us with love. Advent and Christmas are an invitation into the surprise mystery that is God. 

This year more than others there could be an understandable tendency to seek distraction. But as further spikes are driven by observance of the holiday season itself, our choice is whether to look away or to face death as an inevitable part of the 2020 holidays. 

When did the theological architects of American slavery develop the moral character to tell the church how it should discuss and discern racism? When did those who have yet to hire multiple Black or brown faculty at their seminaries assume ethical authority on the subject of systemic injustice? 

In this terrible moment, the vaccines that have been developed are nothing less than a modern miracle. America’s diverse faith communities can play a central role in facilitating the distribution and administration of the vaccines.

John C. Dorhauer, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ, thanks the baseball team in Cleveland for deciding to change its mascot away from Native American imagery.