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Essays

<strong>The Fish Wars</strong>

“If laws are for elders, stories are for children. And the stories that children tell are never general and abstract. They ground us in, or guide us toward, what is really important.”

On “Blessedness”

Rather than read it prescriptively to justify my own identification as a “righteous Christian,” I now read this passage for what it is: a poem that describes the resilience of a people who found true comfort and safety in God, despite attacks from those who would cause them harm.

Jesus’s Table in Christofacist Brazil

Currently, for most Brazilians, Christian commensality is an almost impractical challenge: there is no bread or wine, no communion. As Christians, we have a responsibility to ask ourselves what it means to share Christ’s table in this context, even though we still have a long way to go.

CFP: Special Issue on Russia and Christian Nationalism

The journal Political Theology announces a call for papers for a special issue on “Russia and Christian Nationalism,” guest edited by Regina Elsner and Dmitry Uzlaner. Proposals are due December 15.

The Bat Mitzvah Immersion: Rippling into Adulthood

“We gestate each other, even daughters and mothers, around the spool of time not the lineal thread.”

Christian Nationalism’s Superstition Problem

Christian nationalism is a form of superstition. It is superstitious because, instead of appealing to the God of all nations, it appeals to a culturally fabricated God for cultural privilege, power, and benefits.

The Food on Christian Tables and the Danger of Abstract Concern

What does the food on Christian tables say about our commitments to justice? How well do our dietary choices reflect the concerns we express for other animals, for the environment, and for one another?

Decolonizing the Climate Apocalypse with Joachim of Fiore?

Can a medieval monk help us decolonize eco-apocalyptic history?

<strong>Saving the Children: Carceral Constructions of Futurity</strong>

“Acting on behalf of the child, the prison establishes itself as both a necessary evil and a transcendent force for good.”

The Cost of Dissent

Jesus’ parable identifies chosenness in those who resist, dissent, protest and refuse the invitations of the empire.

Remembering Vattimo

On September 19, 2023, the philosopher Gianni Vattimo died in Turin. What follows is collection of reflections on Vattimo’s legacy for political theology.