From the Lynching Tree to Donald Trump: Taking James Cone Seriously As We Examine White Evangelical Support for Trump

James Cone explains to Chris Hedges what motivated him to write his magisterial work The Cross and the Lynching Tree: 

In Memory of James Cone: "The Conspicuous Absence of the Lynching Tree in American Theological Discourse and Preaching Is Profoundly Revealing"

The lynching tree—so strikingly similar to the cross on Golgotha—should have a prominent place in American images of Jesus' death. But it does not. In fact, the lynching tree has no place in American theological reflections about Jesus' cross or in the proclamation of Christian churches about his Passion. The conspicuous absence of the lynching tree in American theological discourse and preaching is profoundly revealing, especially since the crucifixion was clearly a first-century lynching. In the "lynching era," between 1880 to 1940, white Christians lynched nearly five thousand black men and women in a manner with obvious echoes of the Roman crucifixion of Jesus. Yet these "Christians" did not see the irony or contradiction in their actions.

~ James H. Cone, The Cross and the Lynching Tree (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2011), pp. 30-31.

Mark Labberton to Fellow White Evangelicals on Collusion with Trump: "Such Collusion Has Been Our Historic Habit"

The following is from a statement that Fuller Seminary President Dr. Mark Labberton gave to the "evangelical consultation" at Wheaton College on 16 April 2018. This event was a highly publicized invitation-only gathering of evangelical leaders to share concerns about what (white) evangelical Christians in the U.S. have done to themselves and the evangelical brand by hitching their star to one Donald Trump: Mark Labberton told those gathered for this meeting, 

Ruth Krall, "Reflections Vis-à-vis Today’s SNAP": A Guest Posting — "Onus Is on the Newly Configured SNAP Board to Move into Transparency with All of Its Members"

As longtime Bilgrimage readers will know, I've been a longtime supporter of the group Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests (SNAP). I've persistently defended SNAP when some of its detractors came to this site to attack the organization and its leaders and work. Like Ruth (but not to such a great extent, I suspect, as in Ruth's case), I've contributed financially to SNAP. I've also very gladly assisted in SNAP's work in a variety of ways, when I have been called on to do so. 

Toronto Van Attack: We "Continue to Find Any Reason for Violent Misogyny Besides Violent Misogyny"

Emer O'Toole, "If incels' violent misogyny had a role in Toronto, we mustn't downplay it":

Desiring God on Why Homosexuality Is Not Like Other Sins: A Response

they’re finally saying what they’ve never been bold enough to say pic.twitter.com/oGSFUYnigO

— Broderick Greer (@BroderickGreer) April 23, 2018

As Broderick Greer points out, they're finally saying what many of us have known all along they think, as they preach their "good news" to LGBTQ people: homosexuality isn't the only sin in the book. But it's different. It's different right now.

Ed Kilgore: "If You Take White Evangelicals Out of the Picture, Trump's Standing with the Rest of the Population Is Really Low"

Never mind Fox. Trump’s most reliable media mouthpiece is now Christian TV https://t.co/eROC5YeHOB via @POLITICOMag pic.twitter.com/Ge2fuf5gmO

— POLITICO (@politico) April 23, 2018

Ed Kilgore, "Nobody Likes Trump Except White Evangelicals":

Gerald Slevin on Pius IX and the Doctrine of Infallibility: Pope Francis Can Make the Church Great Again by Eliminating the "Infallibility Trap"

Earlier today, I linked to a very fine statement by Irish lay Catholic Ursula Halligan in response to recent comments by Archbishop Eamon Martin of Ireland. Archbishop Martin notes that the Catholic community has difficulty welcoming people who do not live up to its ideals — notably, LGBTQ people. In response, Ursula Halligan asks Archbishop Martin,

Saturday News Items: How We Became Troll Nation; Men Need to Be Saved from Themselves; Trump Simply Casts Bright Light on What White Evangelicals Have Long Been, Etc.

Here are some bits and pieces of news commentary I've read in the last two days that I'd like to recommend to you. In the video at the head of the posting, Amanda Marcotte is talking with Cenk Uygur about her new book Troll Nation: How The Right Became Trump-Worshipping Monsters Set on Rat-F*cking Liberals, America, and Truth Itself. At Salon today, there's another video in which Marcotte says essentially what she says in this much longer interview with Cenk Uygur. I cannot spot a way to embed the Salon video with you, so I'm sharing this interview with Cenk Uygur. The portion of the video from 1:06 to 3:53 is the portion in which Marcotte explains the thesis of her new book: that's what I'm recommending to you.

Friday Photo Essay: Cigars, Phallic Twattery, and Keeping a Woman Out of the White House

Heather Dockray, "Who are these cartoon villains driving around with Rudy Giuliani?" As Dockray reports, the photo of Giuliani and Roger Ailes sporting cigars  is from Twitter, Oct. 2016; she cites a number of tweets with the image, but it's not clear to me who took this photo and was its original Twitter source.

A Friday photo essay for you: what story do you hear these interlocking (to my way of seeing, that is) images telling us?

More on Recent News: White Evangelical Fervor for Trump at Record High; White Evangelicals and Racism; Millennials and Abortion; Cardinal Tobin on Listening to LGBTQ Folks

Jacqueline Thomsen, "Poll: White evangelical support for Trump at record high"

Some odds and ends of commentary on news items today — several of them items I have discussed here in previous postings.

Tuesday Long Reads: Trump and White Evangelicals; New Book on Trump and Evangelicals; How to Alienate Millennials from Pro-Life Movement

Three long-read excerpts from essays I've read today that I think are very good reads — and which I'd like to recommend:

"Getting Crueler, Smaller, Uglier" — "And We're Being Led Into War by a Corrupt President"

@Starbucks The police were called because these men hadn’t ordered anything. They were waiting for a friend to show up, who did as they were taken out in handcuffs for doing nothing. All the other white ppl are wondering why it’s never happened to us when we do the same thing. pic.twitter.com/0U4Pzs55Ci

— Melissa DePino (@missydepino) April 12, 2018

The Men Who Run Things: Phallic Culture, Phallic Politics, Phallic Religion, and the Price We All Pay

Charlie Jane Anders, All the Birds in the Sky (NY: Tor Books, 2016), p. 229.

Charles Pierce, "Michael Cohen Should've 'Tread Very F*cking Lightly'":

In the News: Another Day, Another Police Shooting of Unarmed Black Man; POTUS Race-Baits Again; White Evangelicals Stage Coup

These are thought-provoking things I've read in the past several days I thought I'd pass on to you; if any theme links them, it’s, Only in America:

Remembering Martin Luther King's Death: "Such Barbarism and Inhumanity . . . Are Not Really Past"

POTUS Headed to Church on Easter Day: "NEED WALL!" — Deep Shame of White American Christianity As Hatred of Immigrants Normalized

‘NEED WALL!’: Trump Heads to Easter Service After Threatening Mexico, Attacking Democrats https://t.co/t1BkpKInqB pic.twitter.com/zO9OeoY5RN

— Gay Civil Rights (@gaycivilrights) April 1, 2018

In my mind as I watched the hate directed towards immigrants pour out on Easter day, from the man in the White House as he walked to church, down to his followers, many of them using bible verses to prop up their hate:

Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection, and His Table Open to All: Why Politics Are Unavoidable on Good Friday and Easter

Because of the very powerful slaveholder religion (and here) crafted by Southern Christian apologists for slavery, which pretends that salvation and Jesus are all about the "spiritual" realm and not this world and the muddy, sordid political realities that shape this world, many American Christians find it distasteful to talk about Jesus, or Easter, and the political at the same time.

This Is Easter for Me: Joan Baez Singing "The President Sang Amazing Grace"

This is Easter for me — Joan Baez singing "The President Sang Amazing Grace," with Jeff Scheer's beautiful animated video accompanying the song.