Kevin Flatt

Professor of history @RedeemerUniv. Learning and teaching about religion, secularization, and the human story. Views my own; retweets ≠ endorsements.

[Kevin Flatt @knflatt]

The paperbacks have arrived!

[Kyle 🚄 @KyleTrainEmoji]

PICARD: Data, shields up

DATA: Brilliant! Shields can reduce damage we sustain. Not immunity. Not hubris. Just prudence. It's not precaution—it's strategy.

[camera shakes]

WORF: HULL BREACHES ON NINE DECKS

DATA: Here's what happened: you told me to raise shields, and I didn't

[Kevin Flatt @knflatt]

@swilk033 @IReligionCSF This is an important advance in our attempts to conceptualize secular social order as more than simply the absence of "religion."

[Kevin Flatt @knflatt]

Everyone working on secularization should read this compelling new article in Sociological Theory by Galen Watts and Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme (@swilk033) of the @IReligionCSF.
https://t.co/QVlpBfCcUD

[Kevin Flatt @knflatt]

@swilk033 @IReligionCSF By resolving an ambiguity in Peter Berger's concept of the sacred canopy, they argue that Western societies in "late-stage" secularization possess a "secular sacred canopy" based on a scientific epistemology, a naturalistic ontology, and a romantic liberal social imaginary.

[Chris Brunet @chrisbrunet]

This week the only university in Newfoundland, @MemorialU, posted 5 tenured professor openings:

- AI-driven Navigation
- Computational Biochemistry
- Genomic Mapping
- Indigenous Knowledge
- Community Health and Substance Use

Each job stipulates that no white men may apply.

[James R. Wood @jamesrwoodtheo]

in this month's issue of @firstthingsmag I have an essay on the idea of "cultural Christianity" -- what it means, what it doesn't, and how it relates to conversion/evangelism, hypocrisy, and the public good

[John Dyer ⚡️ @johndyer]

I really appreciate @CTmagazine posting their AI usage policy for writers, with clears set of "may" and "may not", emphasizing the human roles. https://t.co/wJ1TyTbTcc

[john milbank @johnmilbank3]

I think Lichtenstein needs to do it. And obviously they should make Chas III Holy Roman Emperor. Henry VIII wanted that for the English crown. The right Arthurian conclusion…

[Kevin Flatt @knflatt]

@suzania @Plough Sociologist Christian Smith has a book on this from a personalist / critical realist perspective (Chicago, 2010).

[James R. Wood @jamesrwoodtheo]

Some fun news: You can now pre-order my first book. Comes out this month. Check it out.

https://t.co/jA1qIYmQM8

[Matt Smethurst @MattSmethurst]

“What would you say to a young Christian who is nervous about the future?”

I love @TimKellerNYC’s answer. I think about it every Easter.

[Nick Freiling @NickFreiling]

A cutting reflection from Cardinal Ratzinger, Good Friday 2005:

"Pilate is not utterly evil. He knows that the condemned man is innocent, and he looks for a way to free him. But his heart is divided. And in the end he lets his own position, his own self-interest, prevail over what is right.

Nor are the men who are shouting and demanding the death of Jesus utterly evil. Many of them, on the day of Pentecost, will feel "cut to the heart," when Peter will say to them: "Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God... you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law."

But at that moment they are caught up in the crowd. They are shouting because everyone else is shouting, and they are shouting the same thing that everyone else is shouting. And in this way, justice is trampled underfoot by weakness, cowardice and fear of the diktat of the ruling mindset. The quiet voice of conscience is drowned out by the cries of the crowd.

Evil draws its power from indecision and concern for what other people think."

[Jonathan Haidt @JonHaidt]

The Anxious Generation was published two years ago today, in a very different world. Back then, the most common objection I got was resignation: "The train has left the station." "You can't put toothpaste back in the tube." "It's how the kids connect today."

Today, the world looks very different. It turns out that if our kids were all on a train and we learned it was heading toward a collapsed bridge, we'd find a way to stop it and bring them safely back to the station. That’s what’s happening now.

After the historic verdicts in Los Angeles and New Mexico, today is a great day to reflect on the capacity of people in democratic societies to take action, even when opposing some of the most powerful corporations in history. We're getting access to the courts. We're getting phone-free schools. We're seeing whole neighborhoods letting kids out to play, unsupervised, which is what we older folk all remember as the best part of childhood.

So I want to recognize:

--The mothers (and, right behind them, fathers) who rose up by the millions and powered the movement.

--The farsighted governors and legislators in red states and blue states who have been innovating on policy solutions.

--The leaders of a dozen of nations, who are raising the age to 16 for opening social media accounts (with a special shoutout to Australia, for going first).

--The teachers and school administrators who had their classrooms disrupted for 15 years, and who are now eager to think through new solutions as screens have taken over and obstructed learning.

--The grassroots organizations who have been dedicating their efforts to advocate for all of the above in their local communities.

--The millions of members of Gen Z who have been rising up, demanding agency over how they spend their lives in the digital era, and finding better ways to connect in real life.

And one final group: the survivor parents--the ones you saw in those pictures of people embracing on the front steps of the LA courthouse. I have met many over the years. I am in awe of their courage and tenacity, their willingness to tell their stories of loss, over and over again, to different audiences, in the hope that no other parent would have to endure what they have endured. At long last, juries and legislatures are hearing you, and are acting.

Together, we are calling the train back to the station. Together, we are rolling back the phone based childhood and reclaiming life in the real world.

The work continues. If you’re not already involved, join us: https://t.co/HdJDTKOQ3T

[Kevin Flatt @knflatt]

@Phlebas_ @PaulVanderKlay Thanks, Phlebas!

[Kevin Flatt @knflatt]

My full conversation with @PaulVanderKlay is now out. Had a lot of fun with this one. The Brief and Confusing History of "Religion". Kevin Flatt https://t.co/C72sbABtmS

[Kevin Flatt @knflatt]

@EthanCaughey @PaulVanderKlay Thanks, @EthanCaughey !

[Paul Vander Klay @PaulVanderKlay]

I've been having the best time ripping through @knflatt's Sacred-Social-Order thesis. Tomorrow, I take a whack at comparing it to @holland_tom 's Dominion thesis workhorse that I've been riding for years...

[Lain on the Blockchain @CryptoCyberia]

Every AI worker replacement product so far summarized perfectly in a tweet.

[Glen Scrivener @glenscrivener]

There’s no equivalent to our word “religion” outside the west. Every society has a sacred-social order—that’s the operating system. But to think of “religion” as an app you may choose to download or not? Distinctively Post-Christian:

From @PaulVanderKlay
https://t.co/1zrPjItQWO

[Paul Vander Klay @PaulVanderKlay]

Did you know most cultures didn't actually have a word for religion? It’s a purely Western concept that changed how we see global history. A fascinating deep dive into our past! #History #Religion #Culture