Nancy Hightower has a PhD in literature/creative nonfiction from the University of Denver and is the author of Elementari Rising (2013, Pink Narcissus Press), and The Acolyte (2015, Port Yonder Press). She has published work in journals such as Sundog Lit, Entropy, Joyland, Gargoyle, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, and Word Riot; as well as articles on religion in in HuffPost. From 2014-2016, she was the science fiction and fantasy reviewer for The Washington Post. She is working on a memoir about growing up in the evangelical South and teaches at Hunter College.
Posts By This Author
Protect Your Mental Health While Practicing Social Distancing
Most people battling depression already feel isolated.
Trump Promotes an Evangelical View of Jewish History
Poster on King David Street near the King David Hotel, sponsored by an evangelical Christian group. Jerusalem, Israel, 22 May 2017.
Trump’s latest executive order is yet another chapter in the spiritual story created by evangelicals.
God, Guns, and the Seductive Power of 'Spiritual Warfare'
I searched for other friends from that group. A few more had similar pictures. The reasoning for such firepower switches quickly and seamlessly between hunting and protection. My father, retreating further into radical, end times theology had given me a loaded pistol as a college graduation gift. I stayed with a friend of his after college, an older woman in her 60’s who stocked her home with so many canned goods, the place felt claustrophobic. She explained she wanted to be prepared for when the antichrist controlled the food supply. For she and my father, the war on God and country was never theoretical. The antichrist would work through legislation and technology just as much as by demonic force.
When the Christmas Season Brings More Pain Than Joy
Clem Onojeghuo / Unsplash
Everyone is supposed to love Christmas and the holidays. It’s supposed to be a time of family and gratitude. But I dread them. I dread the weeks leading up to Christmas, starting the day before Thanksgiving when Christmas carols begin permeating the radio and stores and build to a crescendo through Christmas Eve. The growing darkness in the absence of daylight saving time doesn’t help.
A Woman's Rage Can Be A Holy Thing
Hans Speckaert - Jael and Sisera
Perhaps now, more than ever, Christians need to redefine their relationship to rage — particularly women’s rage. The nation watched Dr. Christine Ford testify about her alleged assault while maintaining a gracious demeanor whereas Brett Kavanaugh was allowed to rant about his supposed mistreatment. This double standard stems from centuries of social conditioning, as well as a rather sexist interpretation of the Bible that argues women are to be silent and submissive.
Blaming Women For Men's Sin Is As Old As The Bible
Juda Propositions Tamar, Rembrandt
I doubt the evangelical response to Tamar would have been as enlightened even though she had “proof.” The rhetoric would look more like this: Tamar took advantage of Judah at a time of grief for her own economic gain. She should have had her father speak to Judah about his negligence first and given him a chance to defend his action. They would cite what a good family Judah came from, being the son of Jacob and the great-grandson of Abraham. Except for selling his brother into slavery, he’s been a model citizen. They wouldn’t dare validate Tamar’s subversive act as a form of social justice, as a call for repentance and redemption
Getting Over The Threat Of Hell
The more I listened, the queasier I felt because I had forgotten just how powerful and foundational the rhetoric of hell is in creating a spiritual and political consensus among Christians. Whoever can help capture more territory from the devil and his army is the candidate to vote for. In the language of spiritual warfare, one candidate’s individual behavior pales in comparison to the millions of unborn souls that are saved.