By: Jean Ollis on March 22, 2018
Ross Douthat, a Catholic convert at 17, writes the compelling text Bad Religion, How We Became a Nation of Heretics (heretics defined as a person holding an opinion at odds with what is generally accepted) in which he challenges the reader to feel safe and empowered to be political without being partisan. Much like author…
By: Dan Kreiss on March 22, 2018
Realizing now that I live in a nation of heretics fills me with mixed emotions. On the one hand I feel at home, recognizing that there are certainly aspects of my own faith expression that are heretical to orthodox Christianity, whether or not I know what they are. On the other hand, there is a…
By: Stu Cocanougher on March 22, 2018
When I picked up the book Love in an Orientation this week, I had already had a lot of history with this work. Not only had I read the book several years ago, I have heard Andrew Marin, the author, speak twice. Once in front of about 3,000 youth workers and once in a…
By: Chip Stapleton on March 22, 2018
Amazon, for all of it’s faults, is a pretty amazing and useful website (somehow that title doesn’t do justice to what Amazon is… but I digress). For instance, when I went to the Amazon.com page for this week’s assigned reading, Love is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community by Andrew Marin, there was a little grew…
By: Chris Pritchett on March 22, 2018
Douthat’s thesis from 2012 is that institutional Christianity in the United States is in decline, but the United States remains a nation where the majority of the population still claims belief in God. Many of these so-called believers may be church-goers in congregations that are somewhat disconnected from church history. Others are disconnected from any…
By: Jennifer Williamson on March 22, 2018
“It’s like a tightrope,” David said. “What do you mean?” our son asked. It was late at night, but our eight-year old boy was wrestling with deep theological issues, and rather than feeling hassled or harried by these late night forays into questions about biblical contradictions, my husband secretly enjoyed the mental exercise of trying…
By: Katy Drage Lines on March 22, 2018
The Last Time The last time we had dinner together in a restaurant with white tablecloths, he leaned forward and took my two hands in his hands and said, I’m going to die soon. I want you to know that. And I said, I think I do know. And he said, What surprises me is…
By: Dave Watermulder on March 22, 2018
“The jeremiad has been one of the most durable literary forms throughout American history. Typically, the author identifies some golden age, one just now dissolving in the rearview mirror; recounts the slippery path of declension; and then prescribes an amendment of ways in order to avert further disaster.”[1] This is the description of Ross Douthat’s…
By: Shawn Hart on March 22, 2018
“Finally, in this America the Christian view that God desires justice but that it’s wrong to expect utopia in this lifetime has given way to a more optimistic vision, in which the spread of democracy is part of the divine plan, the doctrine of American exceptionalism is a kind of Eleventh Commandment, and political leaders…
By: Lynda Gittens on March 22, 2018
This book will push the traditional Christian either into their hiding place or to engage in conversation. In the traditional black Baptist church, we knew our musicians, were homosexual but we didn’t talk about it. They were men and heavenly musically blessed. They kept their private affairs outside the church members view. Our youth…
By: Jim Sabella on March 22, 2018
What an intriguing title: Love is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation with the Gay Community. [1] Embedded in the title is the overarching theme of the book and a bit of an indictment for the evangelical church. Historically, the conversation about and with the LGBTQ community in the evangelical church has been at a level that…
By: Mary Walker on March 22, 2018
There is a difference between concentrating on a “correct set of beliefs” and concentrating on how to live like Jesus, and love even one’s estranged family, within one’s orthodox theological framework.[1] Andrew Marin knew that God was calling him to work in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community when his three best friends shared…
By: Jay Forseth on March 21, 2018
Ross Douthat is a little bit of a Rockstar. The Magna Cum Laude Harvard grad, to name a few of his appearances, has been on Comedy Central, Jon Stewart, Colbert Report, and Bill Maher Show (Thanks Kyle for posting this one). I have viewed interviews of Douthat by NPR, CNN, and FOX, etc. He has…
By: Mike on March 21, 2018
Ross Douthat’s Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics hits the church right in it’s theological gut. He says our problem with American Christianity is not atheism nor secularism, but just good old-fashioned Biblical heresy. The kind of heresy he speaks about comes from pride, arrogance, greed, and overconfidence in debased versions of…
By: Jake Dean-Hill on March 20, 2018
Although Ross Douthat presented some relevant information in his book, Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics, I was somewhat disgusted with his unprofessional and downright rude treatment of the people he was calling out as heretics. To me, his crass style of writing felt heretical and hypocritical. The author states that bad…
By: Kristin Hamilton on March 20, 2018
In the late 80s I was confronted by the depth of my own homophobia. It’s not that I had been outwardly “anti-gay,” as I had spent time with some of the most amazing LGBTQ people for most of my adult years to that point. Yeah, I know, that sounds like, “some of my best friends…
By: Jennifer Dean-Hill on March 19, 2018
Topic aside, there are so many great quotes and spiritual concepts in Love is an Orientation that is so applicable for all Christians. When addressing the loaded topic for inclusivity of the LGBTQ in the Christian community, I was pleasantly surprised at the strikingly peaceful read for such a highly debated topic. I read this…
By: Kyle Chalko on March 17, 2018
Here’s a song I hate. I can hear the footsteps of my King I can hear His heartbeat beckoning In my darkness He has set me free And now I hear the Spirit calling me Wake up child It’s your time to shine You were born for such a time as this I can…
By: Jean Ollis on March 16, 2018
What a gift to listen to James Davison Hunter speak via online podcast to The Trinity Forum (a nonprofit organization that works to cultivate networks of leaders whose integrity and vision will renew culture and promote human freedom and flourishing) in Washington DC.[1] It’s clear his values and passion to change the world align with…
By: Chip Stapleton on March 16, 2018
I have a complicated relationship with the author of our assignment for this week, David Brooks. As a regular reader of the New York Times, I often find myself reading Brooks’ writing, as he has a regular op-ed column. Beyond that, I think it is accurate to say that he is one of the opinion makers that…
