14 Comments

Amplifying women's voices, as in For Our Daughters, is powerful at this juncture. I'm close with a few who are leading support groups for sexually betrayed women. I was surprised to learn how many are married to Christian ministers. Many keep quiet due to fear of income loss, reputation/shame ... I'm envisioning some sort of underground RR so these women can find support and realize they have options. Emerging from a man cave and finding no hot dinner waiting for you could put the brakes on some of this toxic output.

Expand full comment
Oct 9Liked by Kristin Du Mez

What strikes me about the Tech Bros and the self-proclaimed prophets of various flavors is that these guys all, individually, want to be King. I think the rest of us are well served by building caring communities in which leadership consists of service to the group -- and pointing out that these mad fighting cocks bring only division.

Expand full comment

Is it possible to write this up in a format that would read well for an opinion piece in a publication like USA Today? This might be helpful to share with multiple audiences including people without a background on these issues who would be interested as citizens to better understand the implications of their voting decisions in the upcoming election.

Expand full comment

Good morning: This comment about the Association of Classical Christian School, and Classical Schools in general. I worked for Calvin in Admission and Development from '09 to '13 and visited at least a dozen Classical Schools here in the Northwest. The movement was new to me, and frankly I was impressed. I did not get a hint of the Wilson connection. I wonder if he has an ongoing role in the Association?

A couple of stories--at a school in Boise, ID, I walked to the front window wearing a Calvin sweater, only to be greeted by the Headmaster who said, "Calvin College--we love Calvin College." Then proceeded to celebrate the work of Jamie Smith, who I think has been a keynote speaker for that Association.

At a school in Redmond, WA (east Seattle), I made my usual pattern of meeting the Headmaster and giving a copy of Neal Plantinga's, "Engaging God's World." The next year I discovered the Headmaster was so impressed, he created and taught a capstone course for Seniors using that book as his text.

We were able to attract at least 4 or 5 students to Calvin, and the college started to send a rep. to their annual convention to recruit more. That was a decade ago and I know not if that's been continued. Further, I think it is important to carefully explore if that Association, or a number of those schools, are in fact joining in the Christian Nationalist movement. A lot has happened in 10 years, but I'm sure hoping the fine schools I visited and many others have not fallen in that direction.

Ron Polinder

Expand full comment

DJT understands his role as a player in this TheoBros/WhiteMalePrivilege war against American democracy as, just today, he calls Howard Stern, of all people, a "Beta Male", after Stern's extraordinary interview with VP Harris. YAHOO NEWS puts it this way:“BETA MALE Howard Stern made a fool of himself on his low rated radio show when he ‘interviewed’ Lyin’ Kamala Harris, and hit her with so many SOFTBALL questions that even she was embarrassed,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website." Now, I'm kind of a radio geek, and have followed Howard's career since he was basically a TOP 40 DJ on NYC's WNBC. Whether you agree with his brand of radio, or not, I don't know of anyone who would consider Stern a "beta male". But Trump is going to do all he can to try and reduce Howard to make him conform. I thought Howard's interview with Kamala was great!

Expand full comment

Thank you, Kristen. This is both helpful and disturbing.

Expand full comment

Can you explain the Peter Thiel connection?these sorts of religious conservatives genuinely do despise gay people. How does this work out? Thanks for all of this.

Expand full comment
author

It’s not issue-based in Thiel’s case, but a common affinity for centralizing power—a kind of startup model where the billionaires run the world. Or at least parts of it.

Expand full comment

As someone who shares with you, I hope a less alarming appreciation of John Calvin's theology, I am wondering how can I respond to the TheoBros? It feels like a losing battle sometimes.

Expand full comment
Oct 9Liked by Kristin Du Mez

In doing so, I would expect pre-planned and rehearsed responses, much like sales training techniques when encountering objections because, they are, in fact, selling something.

Expand full comment
author

“Much like sales training techniques.” 💯

(And also the subject of my next book.)

Expand full comment

May it be your best seller!

Expand full comment

Just exposed to Webbon. How “generous” of him to allow single mothers vote! I hated to admit it but you and others have made too strong a case linking bad theology with rampant abuse.

Expand full comment

I wonder who is supporting this man? https://iknowgod.us/

Expand full comment