by John Ellis One of history’s ironies sits in the United Nations’ art garden at their New York City headquarters. Titled Let Us Beat Swords into Ploughshares, the Soviet Union gifted the U.N. the sculpture referencing Isaiah 2:4 by famed Soviet sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich on December 4, 1959. Obviously, the Soviet Union had zero intention … Continue reading Christians Should Do More than Pray for Peace; Christians Should Also Denounce Trump’s War in Iran
Category: White Evangelicalism
The FCC, Brendan Carr, and the GOP/MAGA’s Continued Embrace of Fascism
by John Ellis Googling “fascism definition” turns up the result, “An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.” If Google’s AI generated definition of fascism is too vague for you, how about this dense, academic definition offered by Alberto Toscano in his 2023 book Late Fascism: “To the extent that we can … Continue reading The FCC, Brendan Carr, and the GOP/MAGA’s Continued Embrace of Fascism
Donald Trump, ICE, and the Muzzling of the Church’s Prophetic Voice
by John Ellis It’s rare that a conversation with an Uber passenger catches me by surprise. One such conversation happened on a Sunday morning several months ago while giving a ride to a man on his way to church. Per my usual with any Uber passenger on the way to church, I asked questions about … Continue reading Donald Trump, ICE, and the Muzzling of the Church’s Prophetic Voice
Critiquing ‘The Anxious Generation’ by Jonathan Haidt
by John Ellis I didn’t read many pages into The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt before methodological red flags began waving in my face. A quick Google search uncovered scores of articles taking The New York Time’s bestseller to task for a … Continue reading Critiquing ‘The Anxious Generation’ by Jonathan Haidt
The Petty Meanness of the Trump Administration Is a Sinister Warning to Christians (fonts are the new front in MAGA’s War on Wokeness)
by John Ellis Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered the State Department to revert to the Times New Roman font in all official documents. His order reverses one his predecessor, Secretary Antony Blinken, made in 2023 requiring all official State Department documents be typed using the Calibri font. Secretary Rubio’s reason, as explained in … Continue reading The Petty Meanness of the Trump Administration Is a Sinister Warning to Christians (fonts are the new front in MAGA’s War on Wokeness)
Respecter of Persons: The Lack of Socio-Economic Diversity on Reformed (White) Evangelical Elder Boards
by John Ellis Diversity has become a buzzword among reformed churches over the last couple of decades. While buzziness can bring more heat than light, the desire for churches to reflect the beautiful diversity of God’s Kingdom is good and right. Most often, this desire and the accompanying strategies focus on ethnic diversity. The segregation … Continue reading Respecter of Persons: The Lack of Socio-Economic Diversity on Reformed (White) Evangelical Elder Boards
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
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
Deadly Worship Services: How Corporate Worship Serves the Curse
by John Ellis As a teaser, I ended my previous article with this quote from Antonin Artaud: “And if there is still one hellish, truly accursed thing in our time, it is our artistic dallying with forms, instead of being like victims burnt at the stake, signaling through the flames.”[1] Artaud’s highly imagistic words underline … Continue reading Deadly Worship Services: How Corporate Worship Serves the Curse
Practically Known Theology 