"The last thing a producer wants is some pundit offering nuanced criticism of his own side. Everything has to be a fight between the extremes. This dynamic has always existed at MSNBC and CNN as well as at Fox." - The Dispatch
“I saw the Christian flag directly to my front. Another read, ‘Jesus is my savior, Trump is my president.’ Another: ‘Jesus is king.’ … Another had crossed rifles beneath a skull, emblazoned with the pattern of the American flag.”. . . a shirt that bore the slogan “God, Guns, and Trump.” - C. Leaders
"...three people associated with the Global Outreach Ministries church in Melbourne, Florida, were arrested and charged for their involvement with the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol." - C. Leaders
"'We unite our voices to declare that there is a version of American nationalism that is trying to camouflage itself as Christianity — and it is a heretical version of our faith,' the letter reads." - RNS
Even at our best, we humans often botch the job of identifying what’s true and right. The important thing is to recognize what went wrong, learn the lessons, and aim to do better.
If I could gather every American who self-identifies as conservative and deliver one message to them right now, that would probably be the bottom line: Face the facts of January 6 and start identifying how to do better and be better.
There’s much we still don’t know about what went wrong leading up to, and on, January 6, 2021. But many points are already known. Here’s a baker’s dozen.
"The Capitol insurrection was horrifying enough as a spectacle of foolishness and symbol of civilizational decay. But another horrifying exhibit of foolishness has been the reactions to the event on social media. Namely, the widespread deployment of one of the laziest tactics to hit rhetoric since the ad hominem: whataboutism." - TGC
"I was struck by how well [The Federalist No. 10] anticipated and addressed issues and problems we are having to deal with today: polarization, conflicting ideologies, political involvement of religion, diversity. And his insights also have application to smaller questions, such as whether a president can pardon himself." - Cranach
"For too long many Christian leaders have remained silent, fearing the repercussions of calling out those who are obsessed with political fantasies that are leading them away from Jesus." - TGC
