Gary Dorrien on Making Democratic Socialism American
Gary Dorrien shows that the best American traditions of democratic socialism have emphasized economic democracy, cultural and racial diversity, and perhaps surprisingly, a rootedness in religious ideals and socialisms.
Donald Trump is the Democrats’ Messiah
The soteriology of the believing Democrat rests on the view that Trump is a unique and absolute evil divorced from history. In a perverse twist, Trump has become their messianic north star.
A Review of Nathan Robinson’s Why You Should Be a Socialist
Rooted in a profound moral outrage over capitalism’s indignities and absurd cruelties, Nathan Robinson’s recent book makes a powerful case for libertarian, democratic socialism.
The Unbearable Lightness of Joe Biden
Democrats are poised to repeat the mistakes of 2016 by moving to make Joe Biden the nominee. While the left continues to build regional and national power in hopes of a new party, the onus is now on Biden and his campaign to make choices that reckon with the powerful demands of younger generations.
Holy Friday: What is Truth?
Who did this to Jesus? Who crucified him? Why was he crucified? What is truth?
Against Christian Nationalism on Easter (and Beyond)
With the Trump presidency, the Christian right has found a vehicle for Christian nationalism. The Christian left needs both an analysis of this patchwork coalition of nationalists, as well as a reconfiguration of its political imagination focused on building power.
Trump’s Intellectuals and The Great Moving Right Show
R. R. Reno’s recent missives at First Things illustrate the way that conservative intellectuals function to open ideological and political space for Trump. Despite the best efforts of Never Trumpers, Trump’s intellectuals are increasingly shaping the future of American conservatism.
Resisting Capitalism’s “Right to Kill”
A Christian minister reflects on the fact that, for the multiracial working-class, continuing to work during a global pandemic now means risking death. What Sartre called capitalism’s “fundamental right to kill” is now on full display.
On Simon Hewitt’s Church and Revolution
Simon Hewitt’s new book seeks to revive the uneven conversation between Christianity and Marxism. For Hewitt, idolatrous theology isn’t merely rooted in bad ideas — it’s part and parcel of capitalist life.
Against Nature? Covid and the Politics of Reaction
In order to preserve the status quo and the institutions of private power, reactionaries resort to conflating the political contingencies of society and the sublimity of nature. R. R. Reno’s recent protests against the COVID-19 shutdown are a case study in this reactionary logic.