Justin Lonas
@jryanlonas.bsky.social
Writer & poet, cook, hiker, husband, dad, nonprofit employee, etc., from Chattanooga, Tennessee. MDiv — Reformed Theological Seminary. Writing about life, literature, church, culture, mercy & justice.
...thus a whole country can be organized toward some collective insanity because there is no space in individuals to *think*."
—Christian Wiman, My Bright Abyss
—Christian Wiman, My Bright Abyss
June 11, 2025 at 2:20 PM
...thus a whole country can be organized toward some collective insanity because there is no space in individuals to *think*."
—Christian Wiman, My Bright Abyss
—Christian Wiman, My Bright Abyss
...the essential "otherness" of Christians in the world, and the non-negotiable aspect that justice and mercy play in the Christian life was formative for me and so many others. www.walterbrueggemann.com/2025/06/05/i...
Walter Brueggemann: In Memory
Walter Brueggemann passed away peacefully on June 5, 2025, at the age of 92. He is survived by his wife, Tia, his sons, James and John, and their families. To read his online biography, click here.…
www.walterbrueggemann.com
June 5, 2025 at 4:13 PM
...the essential "otherness" of Christians in the world, and the non-negotiable aspect that justice and mercy play in the Christian life was formative for me and so many others. www.walterbrueggemann.com/2025/06/05/i...
How they think Tolkien was somehow trying to write a parable about the dangers of empathy, diversity, environmentalism, patience, and diplomacy.
How they think the point is cruel fighting and authoritarianism, and cast themselves as its heroes.
They probably never read a word of it.
(4/4)
How they think the point is cruel fighting and authoritarianism, and cast themselves as its heroes.
They probably never read a word of it.
(4/4)
May 25, 2025 at 4:31 PM
How they think Tolkien was somehow trying to write a parable about the dangers of empathy, diversity, environmentalism, patience, and diplomacy.
How they think the point is cruel fighting and authoritarianism, and cast themselves as its heroes.
They probably never read a word of it.
(4/4)
How they think the point is cruel fighting and authoritarianism, and cast themselves as its heroes.
They probably never read a word of it.
(4/4)
This is the most important chapter in the whole saga, I think.
And I continue to be amazed (though, given general understanding of facts and literacy in our culture today, perhaps I shouldn't be) at how many people on the political right claim to love these books.
(3/4)
And I continue to be amazed (though, given general understanding of facts and literacy in our culture today, perhaps I shouldn't be) at how many people on the political right claim to love these books.
(3/4)
May 25, 2025 at 4:31 PM
This is the most important chapter in the whole saga, I think.
And I continue to be amazed (though, given general understanding of facts and literacy in our culture today, perhaps I shouldn't be) at how many people on the political right claim to love these books.
(3/4)
And I continue to be amazed (though, given general understanding of facts and literacy in our culture today, perhaps I shouldn't be) at how many people on the political right claim to love these books.
(3/4)
It is bracing to remember how easy it is for comfortable people to fall in with ruffians out of greed and how much it costs to overthrow a kleptocracy (which is always the doorway to a more harrowing evil) and rebuild—even when people wake up.
(2/4)
(2/4)
May 25, 2025 at 4:31 PM
It is bracing to remember how easy it is for comfortable people to fall in with ruffians out of greed and how much it costs to overthrow a kleptocracy (which is always the doorway to a more harrowing evil) and rebuild—even when people wake up.
(2/4)
(2/4)
For reference: jryanlonas.com/2016/09/09/p...
Percy’s Love in the Ruins: A Dystopia for Our Time
Note: This piece was originally written in September 2016, in the run-up to that year’s U.S. national election. In hindsight, I could have been…a little more perceptive about the differ…
jryanlonas.com
May 17, 2025 at 4:13 PM
For reference: jryanlonas.com/2016/09/09/p...
Nailing the definition of "theobro" with this: "oft-bearded Calvinist preachers and speakers known for their conservative beliefs, especially about the role of women in the church, and their criticism of other evangelicals whose faith is less strict."
May 13, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Nailing the definition of "theobro" with this: "oft-bearded Calvinist preachers and speakers known for their conservative beliefs, especially about the role of women in the church, and their criticism of other evangelicals whose faith is less strict."