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More Than Mere Words: A Look at Appropriated Linguistic Harassment

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Last month, during the State of the Union address, a Georgia representative wore a shirt with the phrase “say her name” to illustrate her support of stronger border security, laws against undocumented immigrants in the US, and to push the false narrative that undocumented people are more of a threat than US citizens. However, we need to take a moment to call her actions out as what they are: appropriated linguistic harassment. A New Definition If you are saying to yourself, “I’ve never heard of that,” it’s because I made it up. It is the combination of “linguistic harassment” (the use of … Read more

Liberation is an Act of Heresy: So Be a Heretic

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This week, I (Kalie) have been advocating for heresy on CPI’s platform, which may not be what everyone would expect from a platform that centers spirituality. However, the truth is, liberation only comes when people act in heretical ways to subvert the orthodoxy that upholds harmful systems. The Harm of Orthodoxy Often, many of us think of orthodoxy as a set of solidified religious beliefs that are universally held. This is what we appeal to if we point to something like the Nicaean creed and say, “these are the tenets of Christianity.” However, this is not the entire breadth of … Read more

Dehumanizing to Kill: How the Anti-Trans Narratives Enable the Death of Trans People

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CW: Transphobia, dehumanization, murder, war, hate crimes Originally Published Feb 21, 2024 The news this last week on Nex’s murder has been difficult to process. One thing that strikes me the most is the complete lack of empathy by those responsible for their death. Part of the reason is that it highlights the fact that there is a certain part of our political climate that does not even recognize their humanity.And it’s intentional. I spent about nine years in the military and, during that time, I was witness to more death than I care to reflect on. However, while I … Read more

Our Language Taught Us to Misinterpret the Bible: How English is a Theological Language

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One thing that post-Enlightenment Christianity has tried to defend is the idea that it is possible to come to a perfect understanding of the Bible, and thus God and theology. In many ways, this view has led to a plethora of issues that we face in western culture today as we, as a culture, often believe we are doing things the “correct” way. However, the unfortunate truth is, due to linguistics and linguistic psychology, it is virtually impossible for English-speaking Westerners to understand biblical concepts in their original meanings. The thing about English is that is has grown and changed … Read more