Every Knee Shall Bend

Every Knee Shall Bend | Andrew Ambrose Mackey | Substack Examining the ideas, leaders, and cultural forces shaping Christian nationalism, and creating space for open, research-driven articles. Click to read Every Knee Shall Bend, a Substack publication.

After a fantastic first month on Substack, Every Knee Shall Bend (eksb.org & @eksb.org) will be moving to weekly articles on Wednesday going forward. Thanks so much for subscribing and reading.

The Politics of Fear and the Liturgy of Hope Trump’s Quantico spectacle contrasts with a People’s Mass in Chicago and Cardinal McElroy’s call for neighbor-love. Fear isolates. Hope gathers.

To military brass, Trump called cities “training grounds.” In Chicago and Washington, the Church proclaimed “we are not afraid.” Fear vs. hope in the public square. Today in @eksb.org.

Picking Up Serpents How Christian nationalist rhetoric recasts facts as faith claims, why empathy is under attack, and why servant leadership and friendship offer a democratic alternative.

When facts are erased and faith claims take their place, empathy is recast as sin and politics becomes holy war. This essay by @andrewmackey.com asks what it means to keep “picking up serpents” and whether friendship and service can still heal a poisoned public square.

The responses to Charlie Kirk's murder were sadly predictable and anemic If Kirk was a champion of free speech, than it seems the worst way to honor his legacy is to silence anyone for what they said about him, writes NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters.

If Kirk was a champion of free speech, than it seems the worst way to honor his legacy is to silence anyone for what they said about him, writes NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters.

Compare the White House tweet w/ the contents page of Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States (w/ @profsamperry.bsky.social)

Resonant.

Depolarization is not "a scalable solution for reducing societal-level conflict.... achieving lasting depolarization will likely require....moving beyond individual-level treatments to address the elite behaviors and structural incentives that fuel partisan conflict" www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

When Christian Nationalism Makes Violence Holy Sanctifying violence in the name of faith and nation

In today’s EKSB, @tessstarman.bsky.social and Ron Hopson explore how Christian nationalism frames violence as sanctified, creating a theological and political barrier to reform in America’s gun crisis. Read it here:

When the Pentagon Starts Preaching The Department of War has begun posting Bible verses alongside military drills.

Friday’s essay in @eksb.org by @andrewmackey.com looks at the recent religious posts coming out of the Department of War, Homeland Security, and ICE through the lens of Christian Nationalism scholarship. Read it here.

The Sacralization of Free Speech Robert Barron’s rhetoric on martyrdom, free speech, and Catholic witness

I first admired Bishop Barron for his sleek, polished, intellectually confident brand. But his impassioned reflection on Kirk’s assassination contrasts sharply with the cooler tone he struck in 2020. I examine that in my new piece for @everykneeshallbend.bsky.social.

www.eksb.org/p/the-sacral...

New from @andrewmackey.com on EKSB: Dutch Sheets rails against “identity politics,” in his prayer messages yet his own revivalist language thrives on it.

The Money Magisterium: Wealth, Media, and the Narrowing of the Catholic Church On the convergence of media, money, and politics in constructing a particular Catholicism.

EWTN’s billion-dollar network, joined by Napa Institute, Word on Fire, and Legatus, reshapes Catholicism through money and media which is narrowing faith into brand, wealth, and power. Our latest piece by @andrewmackey.com shows why it matters.

open.substack.com/pub/everykne...