In the ongoing aftermath of the ever-generous fiasco that we call the Trump campaign, Russell Moore wrote that if Donald Trump has accomplished anything of value, it is that he has snuffed out the religious right. The first half of his piece says a lot of things that are pertinent, trenchant, on the mark, and …
A Fight in the Leper Colony
Introduction: It is easy to treat the spectacle that is presidential politics in 2016 as though we were dismayed spectators, but we are not spectators at all. We are all participants. We are not watching a movie that contains a food fight in a junior high cafeteria; we are in the cafeteria. And if it …
Tacky Trump Tape
I will have more to say about this, probably Monday, but I did want to take a moment to tell everyone something important. With the release of this TackyTrumpTape, we all ought to sit down, compose ourselves, and on the count of three, put on our surprised face. What about this did anyone find surprising? …
Some Exotic Basque Cheese
So Ted Cruz has outlined his reasons for reversing course and endorsing Donald Trump. The first reason, he said, was that he had pledged to support the nominee and that he was going to do so. A little late, but he is doing so. We may now take a moment here to wait for those …
With Only One of Them Drooling
The other day I was—what is the past participle of tweet?—I was twooting about the election, and commented on two possibly inconsistent emotions that were jostling beneath my sternum. You see, I want Hillary to lose in a fireball one hundred yards across, and I want Trump to lose in a fireball fifty yards across. …
Send Lawyers, Guns and Money
An old Warren Zevon song sums up the severity of our situation nicely—somebody needs to send Lawyers, Guns and Money. I hasten to add that I am of course speaking metaphorically. We have gotten to levels of brazenness that are hard to comprehend. Before a particular lie is exposed, we still have enough of the …
Yea, Though She Fall Into the Van
The latest thing to take the Internet by storm, and the presidential campaign by storm, and the imagination of meme-makers everywhere by storm, is the video shot of Hillary Clinton collapsing into her vehicle. It was a moment filled with . . . moment, you might say. Now of course our public discourse immediately began …
Aeneas, Anarchy, and America #1
Introduction: This short series of messages can be considered as what used to be called “artillery sermons.” The custom (and the name) began in England in the first half of the 17th century, where military groups invited ministers to come and preach to them. In our colonial period, ministers used to preach such sermons prior …
Two Sorts of #NeverTrump
We need to do a little analysis of what it actually means to be #NeverTrump. This is a political issue, and political issues are always slippery. They are slippery because every night someone comes in and slathers them all over with axle grease, or with money, hard to tell which. The avowal of #NeverTrump sentiments …
Tearing Up the Pea Patch
Introduction When Ben-hadad came against Israel, this is how the Scriptures describe the set up. “And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country” (1 Kings 20:27). Appearances can …