Anytime I see the term “biblical worldview” I automatically get nauseous. I had the distinct displeasure of teaching at a university whose work was supposedly aligned with that principle, even though the university’s leadership struggled with defining how that worked. This was a university that gained notoriety earlier this year for firing a professor (not me, I left almost twenty years ago) who used Jemar Tisby’s work in his classes, if that gives you an idea. So yeah, everything smells toxic and nauseating now.
It's interesting how people who refer to themselves as having a "biblical worldview" never seem to have the sermon on the Mount in mind. It's the the law parts of the bible they're referring to.
Yes, it seems like evangelicals often interpret that as just a general mandate for charity. Not something that is applicable today. In our modern world, we know it's essential for people to pay their bills. People are quick to quote "if a man will not work, he will not eat" (II Thes. 3:10) but slow to mention the Jubilee.
Glad to be a new member of this community. It is a steep learning curve for me. Not too long ago I thought "biblical worldview" meant "do unto others," "love God and neighbor," "do justice, love kindness, walk humbly," "welcome the stranger," etc. (I am a member of the PCUSA.) Now I see it doesn't mean that at all! Hierarchy, patriarchy -- "authoritarian reactionary Christianity," as David Gushee calls it. A whole amazing worldview that flys in the face of the gospel of the Jesus I know. I am doing all I can to read up and have gained a lot so far from Dr. Du Mez and colleagues. It pains me to see terms that I revere co-opted and distorted. I guess I really am sounding naive but thanks in advance for the opinions here. Hope to learn from you.
I'm so glad you're here! I'll be publishing an interview with David soon. The tricky thing in all of this is that many Christians use the same terminology to mean many different things. But that's also how extreminist positions take hold--when more moderate people assume everyone means the same reasonable and generous things they do. But they don't.
Thank you! I"ve found that out after banging around in the dark for a while. Now I make my own iindexes and annotations of any writer or personality I spend time with so I can (try to) parse it out. Thanks for yout especially good index, btw, in Jesus and John Wayne!
Thank you for parsing the thought tree of folks who use seemingly harmless terms to signal their harmful views and plans that they have every intention of carrying out.
In my right wing evangelical 90s past I would have celebrated Mike Johnson's ascension to Speaker. Now with almost 30 years out of that worldview I see the white christian nationalism he represents and the fascist potential. I still know a lot of Christian nationalists, one the other day was decrying an NBC article on Johnson that they felt dissed David Barton. To them Barton is the only reliable historian of American history.
Kristin, I don’t think you give yourself enough credit. Your responses were clear and descriptive. More importantly, it was in your understatement that it was made crystal clear to readers how dangerous Mike Johnson, and the others following his type of beliefs, is to our democracy and true adherence to the Constitution. Thank you again!
I actually think we need to consider a new Constitution. We worry about who will sit on the Supreme Court because our current Constitution doesn't really speak anymore. We have to get someone to read it the way we want. I think this may be unsustainable. France has had 5 constitutions in the time we've had one.
I'm a liberal, but I doubt the Constitution guarantees abortion rights or gay rights any more than it really intended to guarantee everyone's right to guns. The Second Amendment is a good example of the archaic nature of our Constitution. It comes from a time when we didn't have a standing army, so we depended on volunteer militias to protect the country. At the time it was written, almost all guns had to be reloaded after every shot. So they were only useful in cooperation with other people, a "well regulated militia." I think this gun issue could easily split the country up. Red states are determined to keep guns unregulated while blue states want to regulate them. Senator Kennedy of Louisiana just got a bill passed that prohibits the government from refusing guns to armed service members who are considered a risk to others. Even in the West, a federal judge ruled that California banning assault weapons is a violation of the Second Amendment. I think we are close to the breaking point on this issue.
Our strength is our weakness. One of the problems of people who are open, receptive and liberal, is that we accept the unacceptable; we tolerate the intolerable. We should not tolerate elected officials who consistently lie. Mike Johnson says he believes President Biden is not the duly elected CEO of the nation they both serve, but he should not be allowed to lie about it to his constituency. If he is not confronted on this, publicly, every day, there is a very real danger that the lies will win. Glen Peterson
Anytime I see the term “biblical worldview” I automatically get nauseous. I had the distinct displeasure of teaching at a university whose work was supposedly aligned with that principle, even though the university’s leadership struggled with defining how that worked. This was a university that gained notoriety earlier this year for firing a professor (not me, I left almost twenty years ago) who used Jemar Tisby’s work in his classes, if that gives you an idea. So yeah, everything smells toxic and nauseating now.
It's interesting how people who refer to themselves as having a "biblical worldview" never seem to have the sermon on the Mount in mind. It's the the law parts of the bible they're referring to.
Very true. Or Jubilee!
Trying to imagine how they’d react to someone using Jubilee as the basis for a proposal for student loan debt forgiveness.
Yes, it seems like evangelicals often interpret that as just a general mandate for charity. Not something that is applicable today. In our modern world, we know it's essential for people to pay their bills. People are quick to quote "if a man will not work, he will not eat" (II Thes. 3:10) but slow to mention the Jubilee.
Glad to be a new member of this community. It is a steep learning curve for me. Not too long ago I thought "biblical worldview" meant "do unto others," "love God and neighbor," "do justice, love kindness, walk humbly," "welcome the stranger," etc. (I am a member of the PCUSA.) Now I see it doesn't mean that at all! Hierarchy, patriarchy -- "authoritarian reactionary Christianity," as David Gushee calls it. A whole amazing worldview that flys in the face of the gospel of the Jesus I know. I am doing all I can to read up and have gained a lot so far from Dr. Du Mez and colleagues. It pains me to see terms that I revere co-opted and distorted. I guess I really am sounding naive but thanks in advance for the opinions here. Hope to learn from you.
I'm so glad you're here! I'll be publishing an interview with David soon. The tricky thing in all of this is that many Christians use the same terminology to mean many different things. But that's also how extreminist positions take hold--when more moderate people assume everyone means the same reasonable and generous things they do. But they don't.
Thank you! I"ve found that out after banging around in the dark for a while. Now I make my own iindexes and annotations of any writer or personality I spend time with so I can (try to) parse it out. Thanks for yout especially good index, btw, in Jesus and John Wayne!
Thank you for parsing the thought tree of folks who use seemingly harmless terms to signal their harmful views and plans that they have every intention of carrying out.
In my right wing evangelical 90s past I would have celebrated Mike Johnson's ascension to Speaker. Now with almost 30 years out of that worldview I see the white christian nationalism he represents and the fascist potential. I still know a lot of Christian nationalists, one the other day was decrying an NBC article on Johnson that they felt dissed David Barton. To them Barton is the only reliable historian of American history.
Kristin, I don’t think you give yourself enough credit. Your responses were clear and descriptive. More importantly, it was in your understatement that it was made crystal clear to readers how dangerous Mike Johnson, and the others following his type of beliefs, is to our democracy and true adherence to the Constitution. Thank you again!
I actually think we need to consider a new Constitution. We worry about who will sit on the Supreme Court because our current Constitution doesn't really speak anymore. We have to get someone to read it the way we want. I think this may be unsustainable. France has had 5 constitutions in the time we've had one.
I'm a liberal, but I doubt the Constitution guarantees abortion rights or gay rights any more than it really intended to guarantee everyone's right to guns. The Second Amendment is a good example of the archaic nature of our Constitution. It comes from a time when we didn't have a standing army, so we depended on volunteer militias to protect the country. At the time it was written, almost all guns had to be reloaded after every shot. So they were only useful in cooperation with other people, a "well regulated militia." I think this gun issue could easily split the country up. Red states are determined to keep guns unregulated while blue states want to regulate them. Senator Kennedy of Louisiana just got a bill passed that prohibits the government from refusing guns to armed service members who are considered a risk to others. Even in the West, a federal judge ruled that California banning assault weapons is a violation of the Second Amendment. I think we are close to the breaking point on this issue.
Our strength is our weakness. One of the problems of people who are open, receptive and liberal, is that we accept the unacceptable; we tolerate the intolerable. We should not tolerate elected officials who consistently lie. Mike Johnson says he believes President Biden is not the duly elected CEO of the nation they both serve, but he should not be allowed to lie about it to his constituency. If he is not confronted on this, publicly, every day, there is a very real danger that the lies will win. Glen Peterson