Tuesday Threads are used to explore and discuss half-formed ideas. (Yes, I know how that sounds, but I can’t think of a better way to say it.)
Lately my mind has been circling around the way white evangelical theology is expressed ahistorically, as if the ideas now common among conservative white evangelicals are as eternal and immutable as their vision of god. This ahistorical vision of Christianity is most fully expressed in presuppositionalism, but examples can be concise enough to fit into a tweet:
This thread on “anti-racism and anti-anti-racism” is emblematic of this ahistorical presentation. By using blanket terms like “Christianity,” Keller and others do a disservice to their readers by posturing as if there is only one acceptable form of Christian thought and ethics and it has always been consistent. It occludes valid Christian traditions beyond his own, and privileges an understanding of Christianity with a comparatively short history. It also makes enemies out of potential allies, and reads challenges as threats:
I’m no stranger to the “biblical Christian worldview” as taught by its proponents. It is internally coherent, but that coherence resists external scrutiny.
What are some other examples of ahistorical presentations of white evangelical Christianity? Let me know here or on Twitter.
Anything remotely related to the way women are treated in conservative, evangelical circles. It's presented as inarguable that complementarianism is the only way to be Christian. It says so with such confidence, intentionally leading them to believe this is the only view Christians have held since the Garden of Eden. Historical evidence proves this is NOT the case at all.
In Rodney Stark's book the Rise of Christianity he points out that a lot of what made early Christianity appealing to women is it was a space where they could have authority in a very patriarchal society.
Anything remotely related to the way women are treated in conservative, evangelical circles. It's presented as inarguable that complementarianism is the only way to be Christian. It says so with such confidence, intentionally leading them to believe this is the only view Christians have held since the Garden of Eden. Historical evidence proves this is NOT the case at all.
In Rodney Stark's book the Rise of Christianity he points out that a lot of what made early Christianity appealing to women is it was a space where they could have authority in a very patriarchal society.
Of course, what we call Christianity came from a different place: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/04/corporate-america-invented-religious-right-conservative-roosevelt-princeton-117030/
These are all really good points! And I really enjoy the Kevin Kruse book this article is based on.
I need to read it. I'll add it to the pile
The idea of the Trinity comes from the Egyptians: https://daily.jstor.org/a-holy-trinity-in-ancient-egypt/ (as does circumcision).
Also, the idea that the earth can only be 5,000 years old -- especially when we know that people were building structures with sewer systems 11,800 years ago: https://www.archaeology.org/news/8171-191108-turkey-sewer-system
So, even human civilization has been around longer than Christian ideology can tolerate.
To me I see it as 2+2 = 5. The church I went to (which had a certain vibe: https://labyrinth.church/assets/ron-williams-suspended-sentence.pdf https://labyrinth.church/assets/tom-speed.pdf ) was hard core about these ideas... because they were an easy way to find out who couldn't be manipulated.
Any criticism was met with violence: https://labyrinth.church/narrative-of-lnsy.html
American Fascism lives in Christianity, which is why it is time for this wicked faith to go the way of Moloch and Mammon.