Category Archives: ethics

Amendment One and Reading the Bible as Outsiders

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Tim McGee

In NC, an amendment is on the ballot that will read to ban same-sex marriage, saying it is a constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be … Continue reading →

Posted in ethics, family, homosexuality, politics, scripture | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Kony, New (White) Activism, and Playing in the Dark (Continent?)

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Tim McGee

Instead of discussing “Kony 2012” directly, I want to quickly look at one peculiar defense of it. Recently, Brian McLaren defended Kony 2012 and Invisible Children, saying

Posted in colonialism, ethics, missions, race | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

“Still Here” a poem by L. Hughes, for #OWS

Posted on October 30, 2011 by Tim McGee

STILL HERE  I’ve been scarred and battered. My hopes the wind done scattered. Snow has friz me, sun has baked me, Looks like between ’em They done tried to make me Stop laughin’, stop lovin’, stop livin’– But I don’t care! … Continue reading →

Posted in ethics, politics, race | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Another Kind of Justice: thoughts on Brueggemann and OWS

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Tim McGee

The doing of justice is the prophetic invitation to do what needs to be done to enable the poor and the disadvantaged and the neglected to participate in the resources and wealth of the community. Walter Brueggemann I added the … Continue reading →

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Cheering for Death and Other Forms of Culture Making

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Tim McGee

Republican audiences have become the main attraction in the recent presidential debates, in particular, the two moments of cheering for death. Whether cheering for executions or for the freedom to die (due to lack of public health care), death is … Continue reading →

Posted in barth, class, death, ethics, politics | Leave a comment

On Suicide Bombing: Asad on Suicidal Civilization

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Tim McGee

In short, in Christian civilization, the gift of life for humanity is possible only through a suicidal death; redemption is dependent on cruelty or at least on the sin of disregarding human life. Talal Asad, On Suicide Bombing For Asad, … Continue reading →

Posted in Atonement, death, ethics, politics, refugees, utopia, violence | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Political Contours of Rihanna’s “Man Down”: pulling the trigger on rape culture

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Tim McGee

Recently Rihanna has been criticized for her music video, “Man Down,” for narrating a story in which a woman murders a man who has raped her. Katie at the Women in Theology blog has posted some thoughts on the double … Continue reading →

Posted in art, death, ethics, feminism, politics, race, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Writing, Not Blogging (still more on religion and death)

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Tim McGee

Why do we adore The Slaughtered Ox? Because without our knowing it or wanting it, it is our anonymous humanity. We are not Christ, never Christ…no I will not speak of this. –H. Cixous I have not been blogging but … Continue reading →

Posted in atheism, barth, bonhoeffer, Césaire, cixous, colonialism, ecclesiology, ethics, fanon, feminism, foucault, race, religion, secularity | 2 Comments

No More Transgressions: immigration and Christ’s invasion

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Tim McGee

“Subjectivity goes to the point of substitution for the Other…Subjectivity as such is initially hostage; it answers to the point of expiating for others.”  E. Levinas “Totality and Infinity pushes the respect for dissymmetry so far that it seems to … Continue reading →

Posted in barth, bonhoeffer, colonialism, Derrida, ethics, feminism, immigration, levinas, politics, race | Leave a comment

A Violent Being: Milbank and Fanon Between Love and Power

Posted on November 29, 2010 by Tim McGee

“However, this means that the realm of total mutual exposure, the realm of weakness within which “all defences are down,” might ironically be seen as requiring defence against an exterior which refuses this exposedness.”  John Milbank, “Power is necessary for … Continue reading →

Posted in ethics, fanon, milbank, race, violence | 4 Comments