by John Ellis The rhetorical bullying of Godwin’s Law aside, it hasn’t been unusual since 2015 to find those who tease out parallels between Hitler and Donald Trump as well as 1930s Germany and contemporary white evangelicalism. And it’s not unusual because parallels seemingly write themselves from time to time. While successfully resisting the urge … Continue reading Don’t Miss the Parallels Between Pope Pius XI and Evangelical Leaders Who Support Trump
Tag: Jesus
Eschatological Despair, Part 4: The Death of My Son’s Teacher
by John Ellis Lord willing, this will be the final article in this rambling series. At least for now. I think. And I think so because my thoughts on despair have begun to collate and shift in the specific conceptual directions of political theology and ecclesiology (separately yet connected). I also chose the descriptor “rambling” … Continue reading Eschatological Despair, Part 4: The Death of My Son’s Teacher
Eschatological Despair, Part 3: The Hyperreality of the Here and Now
by John Ellis To help explain the concept of hyperreality, Jean Baudrillard liked to draw his readers and listeners attention to Epcot Center. Commenting on the theme park’s World Showcase pavilions, the famed sociologist would ironically muse on how much “better” Disney’s version of Europe is than the real thing. Better food and less travel … Continue reading Eschatological Despair, Part 3: The Hyperreality of the Here and Now
Should Christians Reject the Word/Concept of Worldview?: Part 2
by John Ellis A little after 2am this morning, I woke up. That’s not unusual; as I approach 50, the platitude “sleep like a baby” makes more and more sense. It makes more and more sense by way of contrast, to be clear. What was semi-unusual about this morning is that I couldn’t get back … Continue reading Should Christians Reject the Word/Concept of Worldview?: Part 2
On Election Day, Which City’s Gates Will You be Defending?
by John Ellis I haven’t checked its veracity, so I won’t link to it, but this morning I read a tweet claiming that a professing Christian confessed to the author of the tweet that, “he would shoot me if I were trying to ‘take away his way of life’.” While I don’t know if that … Continue reading On Election Day, Which City’s Gates Will You be Defending?
The Idol of Unity Is Undermining the Evangelical Witness
by John Ellis I speak from experience. As a pastor, I elevated unity above honesty, courage, and integrity. Because therein lies the path of least resistance with a biblically seeming justification, to boot. For a brief time, I was a pastor in a reformed Southern Baptist affiliated church. And I’ve observed in other pastors what … Continue reading The Idol of Unity Is Undermining the Evangelical Witness
With Your Vote, Are You Worshipping Religious Liberty or Are You Worshipping Jesus?
by John Ellis “There remains a fundamental tension in Christianity. Flourishing is good, nevertheless seeking it is not our ultimate goal.” Charles Taylor[1] Voting can be a sticky wicket for Christians. Rarely, at least on the national stage, are we presented with options that align comfortably with a conscience informed by the Holy Spirit, God’s … Continue reading With Your Vote, Are You Worshipping Religious Liberty or Are You Worshipping Jesus?
Show Me Your Sources and I’ll Show You Mine: Our Epistemological Crisis
“This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right.” Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death by John Ellis After I received an especially bad review, the theatre’s technical director attempted to console me with the words, “Remember, opinions are like a******s; everyone has one, and they mostly stink.” Crude, yet containing much … Continue reading Show Me Your Sources and I’ll Show You Mine: Our Epistemological Crisis
Amillennialism and the Binding of Satan
by John Ellis After moving to the Orlando area, one of my family’s first priorities was finding a church family with whom to worship and serve our Creator and King. During our search we visited a few local churches that, on paper (their statement of faith), seemed to be in accord with our theological distinctives. … Continue reading Amillennialism and the Binding of Satan
Systemic Racism Is Exhausting, But Not for Me
by John Ellis With the very first sentence of her powerful book I’m Still Here: Black Dignity In A World Made For Whiteness Austin Channing Brown confesses, “White people can be exhausting.” No doubt, the responses from many white people to that short sentence only serve to underscore Brown’s admission. I must admit, I’m not … Continue reading Systemic Racism Is Exhausting, But Not for Me
Practically Known Theology 