by John Ellis In 1845 the American Anti-Slavery Society published a booklet titled “The Constitution a pro-slavery compact; (vol 11) or, Extracts from the Madison papers, etc.” It’s mainly composed of selected portions from Madison’s carefully kept records of the Constitutional Convention and a few other pertinent documents from the Founding era. As the booklet’s … Continue reading The Assassination of Charlie Kirk, Part 2: A House Divided Cannot Coexist
Author: practicallyknowntheology
The Assassination of Charlie Kirk, Part 1: A House Divided Leads to Political Violence
by John Ellis During my junior year of high school, Christian fundamentalist Michael Griffin shot and killed Dr. David Gunn. What makes this noteworthy, besides the murder taking place in my hometown of Pensacola, FL, is that Dr. Gunn was an abortion doctor and Griffin an anti-abortion extremist. A little over a year later, on … Continue reading The Assassination of Charlie Kirk, Part 1: A House Divided Leads to Political Violence
Donald Trump Totalitarian Watch: Jimmy Kimmel and Free Speech Edition
by John Ellis Six months ago, on March 13, I wrote that “it may be time to begin planning a farewell party for free speech in America.” As it turns out, if you haven’t already baked your “Farewell, Free Speech” cake, you may no longer have the time to do so. At the very least, … Continue reading Donald Trump Totalitarian Watch: Jimmy Kimmel and Free Speech Edition
Knowledge Is Not Neutral: or, How ‘Data Over Dogma’ Is Idolatrous
by John Ellis I’m currently reading – working through – Frederic Jameson’s A Singular Modernity. Jameson is probably best known as a Marxist literary critic, but his work crosses multiple avenues, notably political theory and cultural/societal criticism. I’ve been exposed to Jameson via various books by other authors, articles, and lectures[1], but A Singular Modernity … Continue reading Knowledge Is Not Neutral: or, How ‘Data Over Dogma’ Is Idolatrous
Donald Trump, Bob Jones University, and Fundamentalist-styled Historical Revisionism
by John Ellis Earlier today, I published a short, anti-Trump diatribe (anti-totalitarianism diatribe, to be fair) in response to the White House’s letter to the Smithsonian Institute. The letter informs the Smithsonian that the White House will be reviewing exhibits, materials, and programs to ensure that they conform to President Trump’s definition of American exceptionalism … Continue reading Donald Trump, Bob Jones University, and Fundamentalist-styled Historical Revisionism
Donald Trump Totalitarian Watch
by John Ellis Fresh on the heels of Trump's Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sharing (and praising) a video of proud Christian nationalist and low-key defender of slavery Douglas Wilson saying, among other things, that women shouldn't be allowed to vote, the President continues to embrace his inner dictator. Yesterday, the White House sent the … Continue reading Donald Trump Totalitarian Watch
Dictator Donald Trump (If It Speaks Like a Dictator, Acts Like a Dictator, and Has the Fragile Ego of a Dictator …. spoiler alert … It’s a Dictator)
by John Ellis Do you know what dictators do? Among other things, they punish those who disagree with them and/or otherwise contradict them. After a rough jobs report was released today, Dictator Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, the director of the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Claiming, with zero evidence, of course, that the numbers had … Continue reading Dictator Donald Trump (If It Speaks Like a Dictator, Acts Like a Dictator, and Has the Fragile Ego of a Dictator …. spoiler alert … It’s a Dictator)
What Christian Nationalists Have in Common with Lenin
by John Ellis (Edit on 8/19/25: I'm currently rereading Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts by Marx and realized that I made a small error. Marx didn't believe that communism was necessarily the final stage for humans. He believed that it was impossible to know when/what the final stage, if there ever is one, will be. So, … Continue reading What Christian Nationalists Have in Common with Lenin
The Syncretism of American Mythologies and White Evangelicalism
by John Ellis Several years ago, while living in Arlington, VA, a church member approached me with a concern about my use of the title king for Jesus. It wasn’t so much the title as my near constant use of it. Whenever I prayed publicly, preached, taught Sunday school, etc., I made it a point … Continue reading The Syncretism of American Mythologies and White Evangelicalism
Bob Jones University: The End Is Nigh
by John Ellis This morning, Bob Jones University, my almost alma mater, introduced Dr. Bruce McAllister as the school’s seventh president. The announcement was wrapped in a mood of relieved optimism. Watching it live, the whole thing seemed to me like a giant sigh of relief from those who love a version of Bob Jones … Continue reading Bob Jones University: The End Is Nigh
Practically Known Theology 