At its core, the American Evangelical identity is a strange hybrid — part Old Testament legalist, part New Testament recipient of grace. We Evangelicals straddle obedience to rules and rituals on one side, trusting in God's unmerited favor through Christ on the other. The result? A faith that often feels more like appeasing an angry God than resting in His love.
You've asked me, as superintendent of a public school district, to sign a "certification" declaring that we are not violating federal civil rights law — by, apparently, acknowledging that civil rights issues still exist. You cite Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, then proceed to argue that offering targeted support to historically marginalized students is somehow discriminatory.
How, in God's green earth, did we manage to raise the nation-state of Israel to God's favored nation over all others? I often lament in these blogs the abandonment of Jesus' inauguration of the Kingdom of God as both a present and future reality in the life of the believer. Instead, we find ourselves with a government and Confessing Church that seem to have settled on "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" as their complementary mission statements. I refer to that as "flat earth" Christianity.
Stan Moody reflects on the shifting relationship between evangelical Christianity and American politics. He argues that the evangelical church, once a countercultural force grounded in humility and spiritual conviction, has entangled itself with the Republican Party in pursuit of political influence, abandoning its deeper spiritual mission. This fusion has alienated many believers and contributed to the rise of disillusionment among the "Nones" and "Dones"—those leaving institutional religion. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party, though respectful of diverse faiths, has failed to protect moral and religious convictions in public life. Moody warns of an impending crisis not just for the church or the nation, but for the soul of both. He ultimately calls Christians back to a kingdom ethic rooted in love, service, and obedience to Christ—not political dominance or nationalism.
Would you like a shorter, one-sentence version or a longer, more detailed
May we hope and pray that, should that time come, we will be ready to say, "Charge to my account!"
The story of Brandon Boone Drewry might never have been told if not for Stan Moody, a former pastor and prison chaplain who became an unlikely but passionate advocate for the incarcerated. BAYSIDE JUSTICE: State Of Maine Vs. Brandon Boone Drewry is the result of Moody's deep dive into Drewry's case, uncovering the legal failings that led to his conviction. But what motivated Moody to take on this cause, and how does faith intersect with his pursuit of justice?
Is the Confessing Church in America building empires to God, leaving most of them to fools who can't seem to get beyond sex, drugs, rock 'n roll, and politics?" In the words of Solomon, "That which has been is that which will be…so, there is nothing new under the sun" (Eccl. 1:9).
Buddy Spaulding suggested this change of perspective in reflecting on the negative side of the Beatitudes.
Something is tragically missing in the faith life of American Evangelicals. Little by little, it is beginning to creep into the social network. Little by little, men and women of the Orthodox Christian faith are beginning to question a sect that believes in the Kingdom of God but has shoved it wholly into the future, permitting the unhindered co-worship of God and the American Dream of prosperity and success.
Are Christian evangelists responsible for bending the person and work of Jesus to the American Dream of prosperity and success? There has been lots of talk about the evils of communism and OPS – Other People's Sins, but virtually no talk about the evils within our churches rising through the comforts of cheap grace!
