US Center Chapel, located at the Geographic Center of the Lower 48 States in Lebanon, Kansas / Flickr Jimmy Emerson, DVM CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 During the Super Bowl, Jeep ran an ad that featured singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen in a chapel. Not at a political rally, not at a demonstration, but in a tiny chapel in…
We are shocked. Morally outraged. How could a U.S. president, touting “law and order,” incite a blatant attack on “American democracy” and “the rule of law”? Commentators decry such hypocrisy, stating the obvious contradiction between U.S. constitutional law and violent coups. My contention in this essay is that no such contradiction exists. Rather, “the rule…
“Onward, Christian soldiers!Marching as to war,With the cross of Jesus Going on before.” Though this began as a song for a children’s processional, it also provides an apt description of the events that took place at the Capitol on Wednesday, January 6th. While it is important to note that not all the insurrectionists were White…
Constitutional Theology is the intersection of theology with constitutional theory. Constitutional Theology recognizes that the constitutional design will reflect society’s beliefs about the nature of humanity or those who rule. At the same time, it acknowledges that, if the constitutional system is to work, a faith’s interactions with the larger society must echo the constitutional…
Storming of the United States Capitol on 6 January 2021. Source: Tyler Merbler, Wikimedia / CC BY 2.0 In the days after the horrific insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, at least some participants are being brought to justice. Grievous miscalculations by the Capitol police and other law enforcement agencies left the seat of government poorly…
A New History of the Church in Wales: Governance and Ministry, Theology and Society, edited by Norman Doe An Overview by Norman Doe This paper draws on themes and materials explored in N. Doe, ed., A New History of the Church in Wales: Governance and Ministry, Theology and Society (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020) as…
Early in the morning on January 7, 2021, the Senate Chaplain Barry Black offered a prayer following the certification of Joe Biden as the lawfully elected President of the United States. Chaplain Black’s prayer was the conclusion of a long and dark day in the history of the United States of America. Only hours before,…
Trump Supporters, en route to US Capitol Grounds, at Union Station Columbus Circle and Delaware Avenue, NE, Washington DC on Wednesday morning, 6 January 2021 / Source: Elvert Barnes Photography / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0 A noose. A confederate flag. A Latin cross. A Jesus 2020 banner. These were the symbols deployed by…
Like many Americans, I watched the live images of the insurgent siege of the nation’s Capitol on January 6 with distress and horror. As the rioters were surging up the Capitol steps, I noticed among the numerous Trump flags a large banner with the word “Jesus.” (Apparently, other insurgents carried “Jesus Saves” and “Jesus 2020”…
Tear gas outside the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021. Source: Tyler Merbler / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 Over the last several months, the Republican party and its current leader have consistently trumpeted their strong commitment to law and order. Especially during this summer’s Black Lives Matter protests (and riots), as well as in…