Category: christianity

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“Who makes the world?” Religion and Morality in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s “Watchmen”

During Dr. Manhattan’s public reveal in March 1960 in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen, a newscaster stares into the camera and says, “The Superman exists, and he’s American.” Watchmen takes place in an alternate history where the United States won the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon remains president in 1985, and superhero “vigilantes,” inspired by the appearance of Superman and others in the late 1930s, protect individuals … Read More “Who makes the world?” Religion and Morality in Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s “Watchmen”

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The Violence of Fear in Evangelical Christianity

In “Are We Still Buying a New World with Old Confederate Bills,” Lillian Smith writes, “The Devil knows that if you want to destroy a man, all you need do is fill him with false hopes and false fears. These will blind him to his new direction and he will inevitably turn away from the future and destroy himself and those close to him.” … Read More The Violence of Fear in Evangelical Christianity

Christianity and the Manipulation of Power

I don’t remember the first time I heard Regan Youth’s “Jesus Was A Communist” (also titled “Jesus Was A Pacifist”), but I remember the impact it has had on me. On the song, Dave Rubinstein sings, over and over again for four verses, “Jesus was a communist/Jesus was a pacifist/Jesus was a communist/Jesus didn’t like the rich.” Reagan Youth pointed out the intersections between … Read More Christianity and the Manipulation of Power

Christian Punk/Hardcore and Evangelicalism

During the late 1990s, I was a undergrad in college and heavily involved in the “Christian” hardcore/punk scene. I started in this scene while in high school when I found out about Tooth and Nail Records during youth group events. The promotional material would compare bands on the label to “secular” bands, saying for example that if you like Smashing Pumpkins you’d probably like … Read More Christian Punk/Hardcore and Evangelicalism

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“Who touched my garments?”: White Supremacy and the Desire of Absolution

Each of the synoptic gospels detail Jesus’ raising of Jairus’ daughter after she passes away while Jesus travels to Jairus’ home. On his way to Jairus’ house, a crowd of people swarmed around Jesus and his disciples, hoping to be close to him. In the crowd, a woman who “had had a flow of blood for twelve years” (Mark 5:25) and who had sought … Read More “Who touched my garments?”: White Supremacy and the Desire of Absolution