Politics & Society
Empathy for the demagogue
On July 13, Trump’s human vulnerability was palpable. The threat he poses to democracy remained as real as ever.
The shared root of antisemitism and White supremacy
Historian Magda Teter identifies an endemic rot at the center of Christianity.
How roads hurt animals
Ben Goldfarb’s book on road ecology has expanded my understanding of what makes a livable city—and world.
A church politics of nondomination
Liberal Anglicans and Methodists often face a tension between LGBTQ inclusion and anti-colonialism. But we don’t have to choose.
Self-evident truths?
What may have been obvious to Thomas Jefferson was probably not obvious to those he enslaved.
Jerry Falwell’s toxic legacy
Keri Ladner digs into the Moral Majority founder’s archives to show how his fantastical interpretations of world politics seeded the ground for QAnon.
What happened to US politics?
John Ganz explores the gritty political and cultural trends that erupted in the early 1990s and set the stage for the present.
What is the rainbow in Genesis a reminder of?
This year during Pride month, God seems to have a lot of rainbow defenders online. But they aren’t getting the Bible story quite right.
What does ‘Christian nationalism’ even mean?
Could it really be all the different things people say it is?
Facing a world on fire
The contemplative life is about getting closer to reality, not retreating from it.
The post-Catholic Joyce
Filtered through my deconstructed Catholic faith, Ulysses holds up surprisingly well.
Twin threats to democracy
Patricia Ventura and Edward Chan interrogate the ongoing enabling relationship between White supremacy and neoliberalism.
Coffee justice in Mexico
Café Justo’s alternative to the fair trade model keeps the means of production—and most of the profit—in the local community.
A land dispute in the Old City
Armenian activists in Jerusalem are outraged over an agreement to lease communal land to a hotel developer.
Tear gas over the soccer field
“You’re welcome to take it back home with you,” my Palestinian friend said as I looked at the US-made canister in my hand. “Actually, take all of them.”