“We are all soldiers in the Third World War, and people do not make love in wartime.” Former United States Congressman Larry McDonald https://twitter.com/UniShefAH/status/1635244997477007360?s=20 My next book, No Love in War: A Story of Christian Nationalism (forthcoming, Mayfly Books), is an auto-ethnographic account of the everyday – and often violent - realities of life without … Continue reading No Love in War: A Story of Christian Nationalism
Author: Valerie Hobbs
The Sacred Discourse of “Cleanliness”
This sketch of the ways that bacteria appear in popular culture is also a sketch of ourselves. What our research demonstrates is that bacteria are a kind of vehicle for fears of what we might be, and of aspects of ourselves and our society that we find it difficult to confront directly. Norah Campbell and … Continue reading The Sacred Discourse of “Cleanliness”
Public Talk: Religious Language and the Good Life
On 6 September, I will be giving a public lecture in Leeds as part of the launch for Dr. Joanna Leidenhag's John Templeton Foundation funded project entitled “God and Human Speech." This project will establish 6 interdisciplinary projects at different UK universities, pairing linguists, psychologists and theologians to together examine different aspects of religious language. … Continue reading Public Talk: Religious Language and the Good Life
“Does this look Biblical to you?” Christian Anti-semitism in the Buffalo Terrorist Manifesto
Like so many around the world, I have been utterly sickened by and grieving over the recent massacre in Buffalo, NY of 10 people in a predominantly Black neighbourhood in Buffalo, NY. Many of the victims of the 18-year-old white terrorist were Black, "including Aaron Salter, a security guard who tried to stop the shooting; … Continue reading “Does this look Biblical to you?” Christian Anti-semitism in the Buffalo Terrorist Manifesto
“God, you come back with the head of my enemy”: Hillsong, Bethel and Emotional Manipulation in Worship Music
Their songs are better than everyone else's and they can kind of infiltrate into other churches by having good music. What Hillsong did was kindof marry the music that they wanted to sing in church - the themes - with contemporary music. So early Hillsong music from 2000 sounds like 2000's pop. Today's Hillsong music … Continue reading “God, you come back with the head of my enemy”: Hillsong, Bethel and Emotional Manipulation in Worship Music
The Brexit Religion and the Holy Grail of the NHS (Kettell & Kerr, 2021)
I've just come across a recent article by Steven Kettell and Peter Kerr on the use of religious discourses in the context of the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union. I'll be talking about this paper with my religious langauge students this morning, since we are discussing this image from my recent book. Here … Continue reading The Brexit Religion and the Holy Grail of the NHS (Kettell & Kerr, 2021)
The Heroic Abuser: Christian News Headlines about Saeed Abedini’s Abuse of Naghmeh Panahi
I wrote this short piece in 2016 and am now republishing an updated version, in support of Naghmeh Panahi's decision to go public with her abuse. Occasionally, opportunities arise to discuss domestic violence in the context of widely known families whose stories have been covered by the media. The case of Saeed Abedini and Naghmeh … Continue reading The Heroic Abuser: Christian News Headlines about Saeed Abedini’s Abuse of Naghmeh Panahi
Complex and Cringeworthy: Christianese and other religious jargon
Christians talk in code … and the code excludes those who cannot read the secret language. These words of Malcom Doney and Martin Wrote, in a 2019 Church Times article, reflect a common discomfort with religious code talk, what some people call "church-speak" or "Christianese." Language like “sin”, “salvation”, “discipleship”, “repentance”, “righteousness”, and “judgement” – … Continue reading Complex and Cringeworthy: Christianese and other religious jargon
“Recent tension, some division and ministry challenges:” Euphemism and avoidance in Cru leadership’s talk about racism
This is the fourth post I've written about current controversy in Campus Crusade aka Cru, one of the largest religious orders in the world. I began this series after learning through some light digging that Cru was allegedly coercing some (and now requiring all) staff to sign NDAs (You can learn a bit about this … Continue reading “Recent tension, some division and ministry challenges:” Euphemism and avoidance in Cru leadership’s talk about racism
“Not teachable or cooperative:” Ministerial exception in Cru’s Hire Packet
Some of my research on religious language has taken me into the rather tricky area of First Amendment rights granted to certain employers by the Supreme Court on the grounds of freedom of religious expression. These employers, granted the status of religious order, are given by law exceptions to the principle of equality in the … Continue reading “Not teachable or cooperative:” Ministerial exception in Cru’s Hire Packet
Religious Language 