{"id":7882,"date":"2025-12-26T16:08:47","date_gmt":"2025-12-27T00:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=7882"},"modified":"2025-12-26T16:08:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-27T00:08:47","slug":"tgfi-volume-536-christian-nationalism-and-jesus-in-home-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2025\/12\/26\/tgfi-volume-536-christian-nationalism-and-jesus-in-home-alone","title":{"rendered":"TGFI, Volume 536: Christian nationalism and Jesus in Home&nbsp;Alone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4396\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1200%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=1680&amp;ssl=1 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"><\/a>\n<\/p><p>You\u2019ve heard of TGIF? This is TGFI: Things Glen Found Interesting<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Fridays I share articles\/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues likely to be of interest to Christians in college. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom. I welcome your suggestions, so if you read something fascinating please pass it my&nbsp;way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the year comes to a close, remember that this post is the overflow of a nonprofit ministry. Compiling these links is something I do for the students I minister to at Stanford University, sharing it here is just me making it available more broadly. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/giving.ag.org\/donate\/700001-265029\">donate to support the ministry<\/a> if you are ever so inclined (you can even make gifts <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/giving\/ways-to-give\">via a DAF or with stock<\/a>). Don\u2019t give to pay for the content \u2014 it only takes me five minutes a week to take the email I send to the Chi Alpha students and reformat it for this platform. If you choose to give, give because you believe in the mission of reaching Stanford students with a thoughtful gospel message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that\u2019s the last time I\u2019ll share about that here until next December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you choose to give or not, I hope this email blesses you and helps you think about God and our world more clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list simple-list\">\n<li>Gift link: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/12\/23\/opinion\/christian-nationalism-charismatic-christianity.html?unlocked_article_code=1._08.i2Rl.ZjmQa_yF8dUr&amp;smid=url-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">What We Get Wrong About Christian Nationalism<\/a> (Molly Worthen, New York Times): \u201cI got a taste of this variety and disagreement when I visited King\u2019s Park International Church in Durham, N.C. Christians there look for God to heal the sick, reveal prophetic messages and perform other signs and wonders. The stranger thing, perhaps, is that both Republicans and Democrats attend. The church\u2019s 120 elders, deacons and employees are split \u2018about half and half, Republican and Democrat,\u2019 Reggie Roberson, the pastor, told me. The several hundred people who worship at King\u2019s Park on an average Sunday are a mix of races, national backgrounds, ages and income levels.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Worth a read. Dr. Worthen is, of course, a well-known adult convert to Christianity. While she writes positively about charismatic Christians here, she herself is more of a Southern Baptist. She\u2019s a professor of history at&nbsp;UNC.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gift link: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/12\/21\/opinion\/christ-christmas-humility-kingdom-god.html?unlocked_article_code=1._08.9kIT.8rgxCnptBSXb&amp;smid=url-share\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/12\/21\/opinion\/christ-christmas-humility-kingdom-god.html?unlocked_article_code=1._08.9kIT.8rgxCnptBSXb&amp;smid=url-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Christianity Is a Dangerous Faith<\/a> (David French, New York Times): \u201cThere is an unspoken implication that people would actually like Christians if we behaved more like Christ. But no. That\u2019s demonstrably wrong. It\u2019s true that people want to receive love and compassion, and that when they encounter Christians who love them and serve them, they tend to like them. Many people do not, however, appreciate it when a Christian loves and serves their enemies. They absolutely do not like it when a Christian refuses to join their political crusade.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some international Christmas stories:&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2025\/12\/23\/china-christians-zion-church-crackdown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">This Christmas will be even harder for China\u2019s Christians<\/a> (Christian Shepherd and Huiyee Chiew, Washington Post): \u201cWhile Zion has faced the most pressure, about half a dozen other unregistered churches have been subject to police raids as well. Last week, hundreds of police officers in riot gear descended on a small town in Zhejiang province and arrested two local pastors and dozens of Christians, according to videos and accounts of the incident shared with The Washington Post.\u2026 \u2018The government is inherently suspicious of religious communities, especially Christian groups,\u2019 said Karrie Koesel, an associate professor specializing in Chinese politics and religion at the University of Notre Dame. Beijing views organized religion that promotes an alternative worldview and \u2018answers to a higher power\u2019 as potentially an existential threat to its grip on power, Koesel said. Churches, mosques and other places of worship have faced intense pressure to accept strict government oversight. State-approved religious leaders must submit their sermons and publications for approval to ensure that they teach the \u2018correct understanding\u2019 of theology.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/gaza-christians-israel-hamas-war-christmas-18d5761c3fd48d0d4a842c28aebc2b1c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gaza\u2019s tiny Christian community tries to capture the holiday spirit during the ceasefire<\/a> (Mariam Fam, Associated Press): \u201cTarazi and much of the rest of Gaza\u2019s tiny Palestinian Christian community are trying to capture some of the season\u2019s spirit despite the destruction and uncertainty that surround them. He clings to hope and the faith that he said has seen him through the war. \u2018I feel like our joy over Christ\u2019s birth must surpass all the bitterness that we\u2019ve been through,\u2019 he said. He\u2019s been sheltering for more than two years at the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza.\u2026 He prays for peace and freedom for the Palestinian people. \u2018Our faith and our joy over Christ\u2019s birth are stronger than all circumstances,\u2019 he&nbsp;said.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/p\/how-the-bible-helped-smash-the-crown\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How the Bible Helped Smash the Crown<\/a> (Meir Soloveichik, The Free Press): \u201cOur politics is consumed by culture wars linked to religion\u2014religious freedom is a subject dominating debates in the Supreme Court. But the fact remains that shorn of biblical faith, no cogent explanation can be given for the doctrine of equality that lies at the heart of the American creed. Indeed, the other sources of antiquity to which the Founders turned for inspiration\u2014the philosophers of Greece and the statesmen of Rome\u2014denied human equality and held a worldview that there were those destined to rule and others born to&nbsp;serve.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.csmonitor.com\/World\/Middle-East\/2025\/1219\/israel-returning-hostages-religious-belief\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Discovering God in Hamas tunnels, hostages led a national trend<\/a> (Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor): \u201cSeveral recent studies in Israel back up anecdotal evidence of an uptick in religious connection in response to Oct. 7 and the war that followed. In a poll by Hiddush, an organization that advocates for the separation of religion and state, 25% of respondents said those seminal events strengthened their faith in God. Fifty-five percent said they had not impacted their faith, and 7% said they had weakened it. Researchers at The Hebrew University found in a survey of students that one-third experienced an increase in spirituality, while 9% said it decreased.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/2025\/12\/21\/diversity-hiring-white-men\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The diversity overcorrection in the workplace<\/a> (Megan McArdle, Washington Post): \u201cFor some mysterious reason, people consistently overestimate the minority share of the population, which made the Whiteness of newsrooms, Hollywood studios and academic departments look more unfair than it was.\u2026 even if [there had not been past discrimination], newsrooms, writer\u2019s rooms and classrooms would have been very White because most Americans born in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s were White. I suspect people forgot about these cohort effects because so much of the DEI discourse came up around college admissions, where diversity can be achieved relatively speedily: admit a racially balanced class four years in a row, and voil\u00e0, you \u2018look like America.\u2019 But a large corporate employer often has a workforce spanning 40 years, not four. Rebalancing that through representative hiring would take decades. The DEI champions didn\u2019t want to wait that&nbsp;long.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>McArdle\u2019s point about the difference between corporations and universities is an important one. It also explains why undergraduate populations are far more diverse than university faculty and administrations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gift link: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/science\/2025\/12\/physics-life-reductionism-complexity\/685257\/?gift=j9r7avb6p-KY8zdjhsiSZ46iseuVIG9aTScGGlx4RuQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Truth Physics Can No Longer Ignore<\/a> (Adam Frank, The Atlantic): \u201cTo truly understand living systems as self-organized, autonomous agents, physicists need to abandon their \u2018just the particles, ma\u2019am\u2019 mentality. One of physicists\u2019 great talents\u2014starting with the laws of simple parts (such as atoms) and working up to a complex whole\u2014cannot fully account for cells, animals, or people.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The author is an astrophysicist at the University of Rochester.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Less Serious Things Which Also Interested\/Amused Glen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list simple-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/shorts\/WFgzbWRlej4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jesus In Home Alone<\/a> (YouTube): three minutes, shared with me by an alumnus. Worth pondering.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.smbc-comics.com\/comic\/hundred\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Book Titles<\/a> (SMBC)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/i-hate-you-too--oped-by-your-printer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u2018I Hate You, Too\u2019 \u2014 OpEd By Your Printer<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/people-culture\/trending-china\/article\/3336723\/china-mall-installs-glass-windows-mens-toilet-doors-turn-transparent-when-users-smoke?utm_source=rss_feed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">China mall installs glass windows on men\u2019s toilet doors that turn transparent when users smoke<\/a> (Fran Lu, South China Morning Post): \u201cThe glass uses a special technology that is normally opaque and cuts off the power in a few seconds after it detects smoke, making the glass transparent. The shopping centres ensure that bathroom users are aware of the function with a notice on the door that says: \u201cThe glass will turn transparent if you smoke. Hold your urge to smoke if you do not want to become famous online.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Why Do You Send This&nbsp;Email?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In the time of King David, the tribe of Issachar produced shrewd warriors \u201cwho understood the times and knew what Israel should do\u201d (1 Chron 12:32). In a similar way, we need to become wise people whose faith interacts with the world. I pray this email gives you greater insight, so that you may continue the tradition of Issachar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Disclaimer<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Chi Alpha is not a partisan organization. To paraphrase another minister: we are not about the donkey\u2019s agenda and we are not about the elephant\u2019s agenda \u2014 we are about the Lamb\u2019s agenda. Having said that, I read widely (in part because I believe we should aspire to pass <a href=\"http:\/\/econlog.econlib.org\/archives\/2011\/06\/the_ideological.html\">the ideological Turing test<\/a> and in part because I do not believe I can fairly say \u201cI agree\u201d or \u201cI disagree\u201d until I can say \u201cI understand\u201d) and may at times share articles that have a strong partisan bias simply because I find the article stimulating. The upshot: you should not assume I agree with everything an author says in an article I mention, much less things the author has said in other articles (although if I strongly disagree with something in the article I\u2019ll usually mention it). And to the extent you can discern my opinions, please understand that they are my own and not necessarily those of Chi Alpha or any other organization I may be perceived to represent.\n\nAlso, remember that I\u2019m not reporting news \u2014 I\u2019m giving you a selection of things I found interesting. There\u2019s a lot happening in the world that\u2019s not making an appearance here because I haven\u2019t found stimulating articles written about it.\n\nIf this was forwarded to you and you want to receive future emails, sign up <a href=\"https:\/\/theglendavis.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>. You can also <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/category\/links\">view the archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019ve heard of TGIF? This is TGFI: Things Glen Found Interesting On Fridays I share articles\/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues likely to be of interest to Christians in college. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom. I welcome your suggestions, so if you read something fascinating please pass \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2025\/12\/26\/tgfi-volume-536-christian-nationalism-and-jesus-in-home-alone\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \u201cTGFI, Volume 536: Christian nationalism and Jesus in Home&nbsp;Alone\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,124,287,161,160,148,281,116,138],"class_list":["post-7882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-america","tag-apologetically-interesting","tag-christmas","tag-global-christianity","tag-how-the-church-is-perceived","tag-israel","tag-physics","tag-race","tag-religious-freedom"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-238","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7882"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7886,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7882\/revisions\/7886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}