In my decades of doing what I do, I’ve encountered so many folks patently unwilling to accept that their beloved Land of the Free™ is capable of the horrendous criminality it openly perpetrates as policy. (Such a cultic mindset, of course, is partly responsible for such blind trust vis-a-vis the “pandemic.”) With all this in […]
Why did Donald J Trump sign a bill to tax churches 21%Academic, seminarian and monk, Mike Hertsenstein, shook up the evangelical world this week with a lost passage from an infamous Nixon tape.
One belonged to the establishment; the other hung out on the fringes. One preached to presidents; the other led a tiny cult. Both left their mark on the 20th century and lived on into the 21st. Rev. Billy Graham died in February at the age of 99, and Charles Manson passed away last November in his 80s.
by NoahWell, I waited and I waited but I didn't see any mention in the TV coverage of the recent death of the Rev. Billy Graham about his nasty streak of anti-Semitism. Print media, yes, but not on TV. In his life, Graham talked a good game about support for Israel just as many in the far right do, but that was just his contrived public persona. His real feelings came out in the Nixon tapes.
Earlier today, Frank Schaeffer, whose dad, Francis Schaeffer, was one of the founders of the Religious Right, reminded his readers that this country was never meant to be a theocracy and still isn't. Odd that he had to say so-- but today was the day it needed to be done. "For seven hours today," he wrote, "the remains of the evangelist Billy Graham will lie in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Why? Billy was a family friend but this is not appropriate. We aren’t Iran. We aren’t a theocracy.
Evangelising is an ugly thing. It assumes indisputable truths, and limits the field of inquiry. Its very assertiveness lies in unquestioning rather than probing, a sheepish acceptance of the truth. The tele-pastor and media choked evangelists, of which the United States became famed, had a figure who was, for much of his time, without peer.
The late Billy Graham, who died on Wednesday at his home in Montreat, NC, received packed audiences in gatherings of orgiastic religiosity. His was a crusader beamed via satellite, a religious demagogue attuned to mass media.
Ever watch the Last Kingdom? There's a dramatic scene towards the end of the second episode of the second season where Alexander Dreymon's character, Uhtred, the dashing heathen protagonist, dares the evil Abbot Eadred to "say it one more time and go meet the devil." She he does... and he does. Big deal that he killed a man of God, with big consequences, despite it being the arch-villain of the first couple of episodes of Season Two.
The President's preacher, Hogg wild theories and manipulating a murderer + This Day In History w/the Miracle On Cold War Ice and your song of the day w/The Drums on your Morning Monarchy for February 22, 2018.
Billy Graham was a preacher man equally intent on saving souls and soliciting financial support for his ministry. His success at the former is not subject to proof and his success at the latter is unrivaled. He preached to millions on every ice-free continent and led many to his chosen messiah.
Kentucky fried crisis, clearing convictions and Putin's chef + this day in history w/the assassination of Malcolm X and our song of the day by Courtney Barnett on your Morning Monarchy for February 21, 2018.
