profile

Rev. Benjamin Cremer

I have spent the majority of my life in Evangelical Christian spaces. I have experienced a lot of church hurt. I now write to explore topics that often are at the intersection of politics and Christianity. My desire is to discover how we can move away from Christian nationalism, religious fundamentalism, and church hurt to reclaim the Gospel of Jesus together. I'm glad you're here to join the conversation. I look forward to talking with you.

Featured Post

The Wilderness and the War Over Identity

Hello my friends, Today, I want to invite us to look at Jesus' temptation in the wilderness and how it relates so closely to the temptation offered to us by Christian nationalism in our world today. Before we get into that, I wanted to offer a few other articles I wrote this week: -Patriarchy Preaching at the Pentagon. In this article, I write about self proclaimed Christian Nationalist Doug Wilson being invited by the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to preach at the Pentagon's monthly...

I woke up this morning to several responses from people to the current president’s name appearing in the Epstein files more than the word “God” appears in the Bible, saying “he was the lesser of two evils. When I inquire as to why they think so, they state that Donald Trump was the best candidate over Kamala Harris or Joe Biden primarily because of abortion. But that framing only works if two things are true: 1. The comparison is morally comprehensive. 2. The policy outcomes actually reduce...

On February 17th, Pete Hegseth invited Doug Wilson to speak during the monthly worship service at the Pentagon. Doug Wilson, who runs his church up north here in Idaho, is a leading voice in a distinct theological and political movement that has openly advocated for repealing the 19th Amendment, removing women’s right to vote, restricting the vote to male “heads of household,” enforcing rigid, hierarchical gender roles, wants to enforce a hardline stance against same sex marriage, and openly...

A Christianity rooted in patriarchy will always define women first and foremost by their relationship to men. A Christianity rooted in the gospel of Jesus will see women first and foremost as human beings created in God's image. May we understand the difference. There is a way of reading Scripture that begins with hierarchy. And there is a way of reading Scripture that begins with goodness. If we begin in the wrong place, we will mistake the curse for God’s design. Let’s dive in. 1. Adam...

Hello my friends, Many of you have asked me to write on the Epstein files and how we got here theologically. As I thought about your questions, I couldn't help but make the connection between the theology I was given from my boyhood church about King David's sin and how many who claim to follow Jesus are prone to defend the powerful over the powerless. So, I want to reflect on that dynamic with you today. PAST ARTICLES -Nationalism and Patriarchy Go Hand In Hand. In this article, I explore...

Hello my friends, Given all that transpired this last week, at the intersection of Christianity and politics, from the nature of the National Prayer Breakfast and House Speaker Mike Johnson using scripture to frame the administration's position on immigration, I thought it would be fitting to reflect on the kind the kind of community Jesus is called his followers to embody in Matthew 5:13-20. Before we move on to our reflection, with Lent beginning on February 18th, I wanted to let you know...

We are seeing the “mark of the beast” play out in real time before our eyes. Let me explain. Revelation 13 talks about two beasts, not just one. This is really important. Probably one of the best ways I have learned to think about this passage is through word pictures. The author is inviting us into grand imagery to make a point. He is asking us to engage our imaginations fully. The “beasts” aren’t the point in and of themselves. What the beasts represent is the point. So, in Revelation 13,...

Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, recently used the Bible to uphold the administration’s position on immigration enforcement (Link to his post is below). What is most troubling about his defense of the administration’s immigration enforcement is not simply his conclusions, but the way the argument itself is framed. Again and again, opposition to current immigration policy and enforcement is caricatured as a desire for “open borders,” lawlessness, or disregard for public safety. That framing...

Thursday night, February 5th, the president of the United States shared a video on his Truth Social account  portraying the Obamas as apes. I want to be unmistakably clear about why this matters. This is not a joke. This is not “edgy humor.” This is not politics as usual. Comparing Black people to apes is one of the oldest, most poisonous lies in the history of racism. It is the foundational myth that has been used to justify slavery, segregation, lynching, and ongoing dehumanization. It is...

Hello my friends, Today, many Christians around the world will be hearing Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in their worship services. So I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on it with you and see its radical implications for our world today. Before we get to that, Lent begins February 18th, so I wanted to quickly tell you that I am re-releasing my daily Lent devotional, "When Love Gets The Last Word." I have revised it and added prayers at the end of every day's reading. Those of you who...