The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea December 4, 2023December 3, 2023 The devil: Mike Johnson claims to hate the devil. Maybe he should look in the mirror As a Christian minister, I believe in God and the devil — and I know whose side today’s pious Republicans are on By Nathaniel Manderson . . . Here’s the truth: There is evil in this world. That is evident to anyone paying attention, and for the most part I see it in people who loudly claim to be pure and good. You can certainly find that hypocrisy on the “liberal” side as well, but honestly it’s more common among the evangelical leadership, whom I know very well. Jesus gave his sternest warnings against the religious hypocrites of his day — those who misuse the word of God to oppress or subjugate people and restrict their rights. Jesus knew, as we must know too, that the real evil, the genuine devil, is often found in the pulpit. The devil has many followers. He sells many books. He runs for president. He misleads God’s people. . . . The deep blue sea: What sea level rise will look like in cities that have hosted climate summits The pictures are worth the click. Progress is being made — e.g., Brazil launches $204 million drive to restore Amazon rainforest (no need to click; the headline says it all) — but, as argued recently in the L.A. Times, Solving climate change will have side effects. Get over it. The devil and the deep blue sea are related only because the Speaker of the House — who can block just about anything — believes in the devil but not in the need to confront climate change. What we need, 11 months from now — desperately — is a deep blue wave.