If history is any guide, (1) the Swift-Kelce coupling will end without matrimony, (2) her pop stardom will eventually fade, and -- absent another flavor-of-the-month beau from the NFL -- (3) the Swift-NFL political meme will be more dust on the history books, to be replaced in currency by something else inane, only probably more so.
Christians who merely prayed and sang in an abortion clinic were sentenced this week to over a decade in prison here in the US. Meanwhile, countless other protesters who commit all sorts of violence never even get arrested. Is this not an indicator that Christians and Christianity is scorned nowadays? I pray the reality of this horrid incident penetrates the pervasive denial amongst churches in the US and wakes American Christians up.
Renn's book came in the mail yesterday, and I eagerly began reading it with what little time I had. I'm only on p. 15, but I am disappointed so far. For one thing, I think he takes the election of Trump as a negative world phenomenon for the wrong reason, at least the wrong main reason. He focuses on Trump's crudeness when he should have focused on Christians voting for him in self-defense. It's because we are in a negative world that Christians overlooked Trump's sins to vote for someone willing to fight to defend them.
Also, couldn't he find a better man to quote favorably than Russell Moore?
But no book is perfect other than the Good Book, and I retain an open mind and intend to get Life in the Negative World read in the next few days.
"Consider, for example, the 2012 All Too Well, which was pretty good when released, and elevated to stunning with the extended 2021 reissue. Watch the live performance here, and tell me anyone contemporary has captured lost love and the pain of rejection quite as well lately."
That this song represents "rejection" to women says a lot about the difference between men and women's experiences in the romantic sphere.
It's a great take on Swift from your reader, I think, although I would say that her own actual political inclinations are somewhat harder to discern.
What seems clearer to me is that Swift is incredibly deft at managing her image and "reading the room" culturally. She knows she has the power to move the culture, but also that the culture moves without her, too (as it did on LGBT before she "came out" politically on the issue, and rather late actually for someone of her celebrity). For Swift, publicly taking the stance she did, when she did, in light of the overwhelming shift in the culture, is likely just as much of a case of Swift reading the room and moving deftly to be in sync with it (yet appear to have always been so, as she does so apparently effortlessly, while obviously being anything but) as it is of Swift being passionate about the issues. I do not doubt that Swift is actually center- left -- that would be totally unsurprising, as it is the overwhelming affiliation of her demographic (young, single, upscale white American women). In terms of her passion for politics of any kind? Much less clear to me, other than to the extent needed to be in sync with where the culture overall is heading (or is currently) and so on.
I think in some ways the current romantic link to the NFL star (it reminds me of that Sesame Street game "one of these things is not like the other ...." in terms of the contrast with virtually her entire, lengthy, prior set of beaus) is certainly not "fake", as some have speculated, but rather is also a sign of the times, and a reflection of the idea that a young woman can go for a very stereotypically atavistically masculine man without compromising in a cultural/political sense (ie, putting up with some right wing loudmouth), while at the same time being rather understated in one's own political profile, while nonetheless maintaining one's center-left bona fides. In other words, it's a cultural moment that marginalizes the right pretty effectively and subtlely (ie, you don't have to put up with a right winger to land an atavistically attractive hypermasculine dude), without Swift having to act in a way that obviously is doing so. And that is ... vintage Taylor Swift, it seems to me.
She's slippery. I am not a fan of her or her music, but she's worth watching, I think, to "see how it's done".
What a jumble of words Archbishop Zuppi says in such an obscure way. So he's odds-on favorite to be the next pope. New pope, same as the last pope. Didn't The Who write perform a song about this?
I mused as I read- it seems to me everything Christians are shunned for - as Christians, not just as conservatives - is related to sex. Beliefs on abortion, transexuals, sex only inside marriage, etc. The other beliefs Christians wind up being shunned for are the political beliefs not related to sex that a majority of Christians conclude indirectly from application of Christian principles, but about which it is possible for Scripture-honoring Christians to disagree.
For instance, a progressive might deny marriage, saying "sleep with whomever". A person saying that and saying they are Christian would be plainly going against Scripture and Christian teaching. However, it would be possible for a badly mistaken Christian, who wishes to be compassionate and can't understand that some acts that are "compassionate" toward individuals for a brief time are terrible over all and for all, to support open borders. The Bible does not discuss countries.
Maybe I am missing some beliefs directly in Scripture for which Christians are persecuted that are not about sex? Again - many conservative beliefs are based on ****applications of Christian Scripture and principles, **** but Scripture does not say for sure one way or another what a Christians should do, how Christians should apply the principles. The incontrovertible Christian beliefs (directly in Scripture) for which Christians suffer are all related to sex - or am I wrong?
Thank you, Rod, for this thought provoking article. We are noticing quite a phenomenon here in my Greek Orthodox church. I can only attribute this to the work of the Holy Spirit. For a few months now, people with no ethnic ties whatsoever are becoming catechumens. We have never seen this before in such numbers. So far, they eventually become Orthodox. I understand this is happening across the nation. In our fallen and negative world, people are searching for everlasting truth. .
So Miss Swift hates conservatives. I am not surprised. It is sad that tens of millions of young women have such empty lives that they hold Miss Swift in high esteem. There is little that conservatives can do to respond to such young women. These young women will vote Democrat, engage in all sorts of non-marital sex acts, and be generally unhappy and unhealthy.
The Swift analysis from your reader is interesting. It just seems a shame that everything in culture has to be political. It would be impressive if we did not know Swift's politics, if she offered something to all sides, if she bought people together with stories of longing, love, betrayal, and hope - that's probably asking too much!
I sometimes scroll the news site Revolver. Among the dross, they often link worthwhile pieces. But a few weeks back I saw this in the lineup of headlines:
Help Aaron Renn Bury Rod Dreher
“Huh?!” I thought. “Is Renn fighting Dreher?” I clicked the link. It just went to the Amazon page for Renn’s new book.
Soooo. I’m guessing the bad blood from the Revolver folks is mostly Rod’s scepticism of Trump and his rejection of what some young rightists now call “race realism”.
As for the Evangelicals who still can’t see Negative World, I put it down mostly to their rather weak interpretive grasp of stuff right in front of their eyes. If this new century has taught us anything, it should be this: people are AMAZINGLY good at living in mental constructs and simply brushing off all that shows the construct to be false. This uncanny knack is seen in both our “progressive” left hordes and in many patriotic Evangelicals.
The “head for the hills” shorthand for the BenOp will never die, will it? Facepalm.
Evangelicals have always had a bit of an inferiority complex. About 25 years ago or so, when I was still an evangelical, a major newspaper came out with a piece claiming the evangelicals were unsophisticated and poorly educated, etc. Suddenly, you had evangelicals with PH.D's coming out of the woodwork outraged. "We are smart, too! You are mistaking us for those ignorant fundamentalists." It was a bit of a crisis for them because they had been working so hard to be able to be good Bible believing Christians and have worldly acceptability as well. When I was at Wheaton College over 30 years ago, we loved to bash the "fundies" because they made us look bad to the world. In the college faculty, if a Bible/Theology professor had Ivy league credentials, the administration would slobber over him and give him all kinds of accolades and praise while the profs who came from small and more solidly faithful Christian universities were ignored. The Benedict Option and Aaron Renn are telling them their desire for worldly respect is a fool's errand and they don't want to hear it. Now that is not the only reason, but it is one of things I have observed.
Terrific article. I think most including church folk are ignorant of history and don’t read important things or don’t read at all. Thus, folks miss a lot of things that are re-runs of what has occurred in past. Folks who think things will just change for better because ignorant will have St. Paul moment live in a dream world. The signs are so obvious and the future dangers so easy to see I am not sure why some Christians are so blind to this reality.
Interesting take on swift. I don’t follow pop culture. My contempt is for those who should know better - not swift, kelce. I wish them the best. But so many blind conservatives & others claiming swift, kelce archetype of traditional white picket fence and even before engagement. Like I noted yesterday her dating suggests a promiscuous life style. I can’t prove but when you write about boyfriend relationships it usually does not mean just movie, dinner. Nice lady and sweet appearance but couple is not archetype of traditionalism. Yesterday saw video of kelce using F word like the. Lack virtue. If you observe way he speaks about relationship, hard to imagine it will end up in matrimony. Just my guess. Again I wish them well.
Wow. Your reader analyses Swift brilliantly -- writes brilliantly too!
If history is any guide, (1) the Swift-Kelce coupling will end without matrimony, (2) her pop stardom will eventually fade, and -- absent another flavor-of-the-month beau from the NFL -- (3) the Swift-NFL political meme will be more dust on the history books, to be replaced in currency by something else inane, only probably more so.
Christians who merely prayed and sang in an abortion clinic were sentenced this week to over a decade in prison here in the US. Meanwhile, countless other protesters who commit all sorts of violence never even get arrested. Is this not an indicator that Christians and Christianity is scorned nowadays? I pray the reality of this horrid incident penetrates the pervasive denial amongst churches in the US and wakes American Christians up.
Renn's book came in the mail yesterday, and I eagerly began reading it with what little time I had. I'm only on p. 15, but I am disappointed so far. For one thing, I think he takes the election of Trump as a negative world phenomenon for the wrong reason, at least the wrong main reason. He focuses on Trump's crudeness when he should have focused on Christians voting for him in self-defense. It's because we are in a negative world that Christians overlooked Trump's sins to vote for someone willing to fight to defend them.
Also, couldn't he find a better man to quote favorably than Russell Moore?
But no book is perfect other than the Good Book, and I retain an open mind and intend to get Life in the Negative World read in the next few days.
"Consider, for example, the 2012 All Too Well, which was pretty good when released, and elevated to stunning with the extended 2021 reissue. Watch the live performance here, and tell me anyone contemporary has captured lost love and the pain of rejection quite as well lately."
That this song represents "rejection" to women says a lot about the difference between men and women's experiences in the romantic sphere.
It's a great take on Swift from your reader, I think, although I would say that her own actual political inclinations are somewhat harder to discern.
What seems clearer to me is that Swift is incredibly deft at managing her image and "reading the room" culturally. She knows she has the power to move the culture, but also that the culture moves without her, too (as it did on LGBT before she "came out" politically on the issue, and rather late actually for someone of her celebrity). For Swift, publicly taking the stance she did, when she did, in light of the overwhelming shift in the culture, is likely just as much of a case of Swift reading the room and moving deftly to be in sync with it (yet appear to have always been so, as she does so apparently effortlessly, while obviously being anything but) as it is of Swift being passionate about the issues. I do not doubt that Swift is actually center- left -- that would be totally unsurprising, as it is the overwhelming affiliation of her demographic (young, single, upscale white American women). In terms of her passion for politics of any kind? Much less clear to me, other than to the extent needed to be in sync with where the culture overall is heading (or is currently) and so on.
I think in some ways the current romantic link to the NFL star (it reminds me of that Sesame Street game "one of these things is not like the other ...." in terms of the contrast with virtually her entire, lengthy, prior set of beaus) is certainly not "fake", as some have speculated, but rather is also a sign of the times, and a reflection of the idea that a young woman can go for a very stereotypically atavistically masculine man without compromising in a cultural/political sense (ie, putting up with some right wing loudmouth), while at the same time being rather understated in one's own political profile, while nonetheless maintaining one's center-left bona fides. In other words, it's a cultural moment that marginalizes the right pretty effectively and subtlely (ie, you don't have to put up with a right winger to land an atavistically attractive hypermasculine dude), without Swift having to act in a way that obviously is doing so. And that is ... vintage Taylor Swift, it seems to me.
She's slippery. I am not a fan of her or her music, but she's worth watching, I think, to "see how it's done".
What a jumble of words Archbishop Zuppi says in such an obscure way. So he's odds-on favorite to be the next pope. New pope, same as the last pope. Didn't The Who write perform a song about this?
I mused as I read- it seems to me everything Christians are shunned for - as Christians, not just as conservatives - is related to sex. Beliefs on abortion, transexuals, sex only inside marriage, etc. The other beliefs Christians wind up being shunned for are the political beliefs not related to sex that a majority of Christians conclude indirectly from application of Christian principles, but about which it is possible for Scripture-honoring Christians to disagree.
For instance, a progressive might deny marriage, saying "sleep with whomever". A person saying that and saying they are Christian would be plainly going against Scripture and Christian teaching. However, it would be possible for a badly mistaken Christian, who wishes to be compassionate and can't understand that some acts that are "compassionate" toward individuals for a brief time are terrible over all and for all, to support open borders. The Bible does not discuss countries.
Maybe I am missing some beliefs directly in Scripture for which Christians are persecuted that are not about sex? Again - many conservative beliefs are based on ****applications of Christian Scripture and principles, **** but Scripture does not say for sure one way or another what a Christians should do, how Christians should apply the principles. The incontrovertible Christian beliefs (directly in Scripture) for which Christians suffer are all related to sex - or am I wrong?
Thank you, Rod, for this thought provoking article. We are noticing quite a phenomenon here in my Greek Orthodox church. I can only attribute this to the work of the Holy Spirit. For a few months now, people with no ethnic ties whatsoever are becoming catechumens. We have never seen this before in such numbers. So far, they eventually become Orthodox. I understand this is happening across the nation. In our fallen and negative world, people are searching for everlasting truth. .
So Miss Swift hates conservatives. I am not surprised. It is sad that tens of millions of young women have such empty lives that they hold Miss Swift in high esteem. There is little that conservatives can do to respond to such young women. These young women will vote Democrat, engage in all sorts of non-marital sex acts, and be generally unhappy and unhealthy.
The Swift analysis from your reader is interesting. It just seems a shame that everything in culture has to be political. It would be impressive if we did not know Swift's politics, if she offered something to all sides, if she bought people together with stories of longing, love, betrayal, and hope - that's probably asking too much!
The brilliant Taylor Swift analysis comes from Joshua Treviño, who has just written to give me permission to identify him. Check him out here: https://www.texaspolicy.com/about/staff/joshua-trevino/
I sometimes scroll the news site Revolver. Among the dross, they often link worthwhile pieces. But a few weeks back I saw this in the lineup of headlines:
Help Aaron Renn Bury Rod Dreher
“Huh?!” I thought. “Is Renn fighting Dreher?” I clicked the link. It just went to the Amazon page for Renn’s new book.
Soooo. I’m guessing the bad blood from the Revolver folks is mostly Rod’s scepticism of Trump and his rejection of what some young rightists now call “race realism”.
As for the Evangelicals who still can’t see Negative World, I put it down mostly to their rather weak interpretive grasp of stuff right in front of their eyes. If this new century has taught us anything, it should be this: people are AMAZINGLY good at living in mental constructs and simply brushing off all that shows the construct to be false. This uncanny knack is seen in both our “progressive” left hordes and in many patriotic Evangelicals.
The “head for the hills” shorthand for the BenOp will never die, will it? Facepalm.
Evangelicals have always had a bit of an inferiority complex. About 25 years ago or so, when I was still an evangelical, a major newspaper came out with a piece claiming the evangelicals were unsophisticated and poorly educated, etc. Suddenly, you had evangelicals with PH.D's coming out of the woodwork outraged. "We are smart, too! You are mistaking us for those ignorant fundamentalists." It was a bit of a crisis for them because they had been working so hard to be able to be good Bible believing Christians and have worldly acceptability as well. When I was at Wheaton College over 30 years ago, we loved to bash the "fundies" because they made us look bad to the world. In the college faculty, if a Bible/Theology professor had Ivy league credentials, the administration would slobber over him and give him all kinds of accolades and praise while the profs who came from small and more solidly faithful Christian universities were ignored. The Benedict Option and Aaron Renn are telling them their desire for worldly respect is a fool's errand and they don't want to hear it. Now that is not the only reason, but it is one of things I have observed.
Terrific article. I think most including church folk are ignorant of history and don’t read important things or don’t read at all. Thus, folks miss a lot of things that are re-runs of what has occurred in past. Folks who think things will just change for better because ignorant will have St. Paul moment live in a dream world. The signs are so obvious and the future dangers so easy to see I am not sure why some Christians are so blind to this reality.
Interesting take on swift. I don’t follow pop culture. My contempt is for those who should know better - not swift, kelce. I wish them the best. But so many blind conservatives & others claiming swift, kelce archetype of traditional white picket fence and even before engagement. Like I noted yesterday her dating suggests a promiscuous life style. I can’t prove but when you write about boyfriend relationships it usually does not mean just movie, dinner. Nice lady and sweet appearance but couple is not archetype of traditionalism. Yesterday saw video of kelce using F word like the. Lack virtue. If you observe way he speaks about relationship, hard to imagine it will end up in matrimony. Just my guess. Again I wish them well.