Donald Trump loves to use a rhetorical device called apophasis (i.e. raising an issue by saying it will not be mentioned/affirmed). In this clip from the weekend, he repeatedly says he will not refer to Chris Christie as a “fat pig” … while in essence doing precisely that. Apophasis is a type of non-denial […]
Donald Trump
Evangelical Apologetics and the Far Right Conspiracy Problem
Evangelical apologists have long been associated with right wing, Republican politics. This continued when Donald Trump ran for president in 2016. In this article, I want to consider what seems to me a disturbing and emerging trend of evangelical apologists moving closer to far right leaders and conspiracy theories. I don’t claim to offer anything […]
William Lane Craig Says He Doesn’t Support Donald Trump. Don’t Believe It
William Lane Craig recently devoted an episode of his Reasonable Faith Podcast to one of my videos in which he offered a critical response to some of my comments on his book Reasonable Faith and his ministry more generally. One of the points I raise is the way that his close alignment with the Republican Party […]
The Awfulness of Franklin Graham in a Single Tweet
A Wide-Ranging Interview with the Non-Alchemist
How can reasonable people of good will continue to support Donald Trump?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wva92LN-dhk&ab_channel=RandalRauser
Is it wrong to mock Trump?
It’s undignified to mock @realDonaldTrump’s health issues. That’s off limits. Let’s focus on issues. Hope you recover, Mr. President. — Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) June 15, 2020 Focus on issues? Health (mental and physical) is an issue. As for the propriety of mockery, it is wrong all things being equal. But in this case, all […]
21 Points Illustrating a Pattern of Fascist Behavior in Donald Trump
Many people scoff at the idea that Donald Trump could be moving the USA toward fascism. But just add it all together and see what pattern emerges: He calls the press the “enemy of the people” He says “I alone can fix it” He personalizes the military as “my military” He repeatedly calls for the […]
Is it ethical for a Christian to insult Donald Trump?
Recently, I’ve heard that Donald Trump refuses to wear a mask because he cares about the way he looks. Funny, I would’ve thought that if he cared about the way he looks, he’d be more inclined to wear a mask. That, of course, sounds like an insult, that is, a disrespectful or scornful remark about another person. […]
Is Michael Brown a Bigoted Homophobe? You Decide.
Michael Brown has responded to my subtly-titled article “If Hypocrisy were an Olympic Sport, Evangelicals would get the Gold” in which I argue that his support for Donald Trump coupled with his moral censure of Pete Buttigieg exhibits hypocrisy and provides evidence that he is bigoted and homophobic. Brown begins by quoting his tweet that […]
If Hypocrisy were an Olympic Sport, Evangelicals would get the Gold
Like most folks, I am sick unto death of pointing out the morally vapid hypocrisy of American evangelicals when it comes to Donald Trump, but I can’t resist responding to this tweet from Michael Brown: Call me a homophobic bigot, but I'll say it anyway. Choosing an out & proud "married" gay man to run […]
Is the Lock Him Up Chant a decline in civility?
Here is a link to a Twitter survey that I posted on the Lock Him Up chant: What do you think of the actions of baseball fans who chanted "Lock him up!" when Trump's presence was announced at the World Series game yesterday? — Tentative Apologist (@RandalRauser) October 28, 2019 And now for my thoughts: […]
Is it wrong to call Donald Trump a pig?
Two days ago, Donald Trump mocked 16-year old climate activist Greta Thunberg. Yesterday, I offered this tweeted reply: Randal: Is anybody surprised that the pig decided to mock a 16-year-old climate activist? What really disgusts me is the 154,000 + likes. Trump’s a psychopath, but what’s their excuse? (Source) Predictably, my tweet received the criticism […]
I had a long exchange with a Trump-supporting pastor on Twitter. It went as you would expect
On the weekend, I had a significant exchange online with a pastor and Trump supporter named Marc Hamer. Pastor Hamer describes himself on Twitter as “Servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ … and Pastor of Refuge Calvary Chapel in New Holland, Pa.” The exchange began when Pastor Hamer objected to my description of […]