“The Federalist” Finds Out It’s Never Smart to Come for Dolly Parton

It’s never smart to come for Dolly Parton, especially when you have a weak, eepish, mealy-mouthed, and non-constructive argument that’s easy to refute or cast off, and that will only be counter-productive to your cause. Right wing political/cultural outlet The Federalist is finding this out the hard way, though undoubtedly the Streisand Effect is also resulting in ample attention and revenue for the publication.
Over the last few years, we’ve become accustomed to seeing rebukes of Dolly Parton’s universal appeal from left wing perspectives, criticizing her for her “whiteness” or not taking strong enough stances on certain political/culture war issues. Well apparently she is not immune from some on the right also wanting to get in on the action.
In an article published on June 6th titled “There’s Nothing Loving About Dolly Parton’s False Gospel,” writer Ericka Andersen basically asserts that since Dolly Parton is unwilling to condemn or rebuke LGBT people, she is going against Christian doctrine, and should not be celebrated by people for her Christian faith.
“Parton equates love with agreement, but the two are not reciprocal. Love doesn’t mean we must accept sinfulness as good to avoid hurting someone’s feelings,” Ericka Andersen asserts.
But this is not what Dolly Parton has ever said, nor does it describe her stance at all. Dolly has never said she “agrees” with anyone’s behavior or “accepts it as good,” and this can’t be assumed just because she is accepting of all people. Has anyone heard the phrase “Hate the sin, love the sinner?”
Also, Parton’s universal acceptance of everyone is not tied to not wanting to “hurt someone’s feelings” necessarily, but a philosophical approach Parton has taken to life specifically inspired by her Christian beliefs and the teachings of Jesus Christ to not judge others.
You cannot selectively cite or interpret scripture to fit your argument, and act like the rest of it doesn’t exist or is meaningless. But this is exactly what The Federalist article does.
“I’m not a good enough person or a good enough Christian to judge and criticize other people,” [Dolly Parton] told [Drew] Barrymore.
This, however, is her “get out of jail free” card. Who’s going to argue with it? She’s not alone in this avoidance tactic. Christians often use the “let him who is without sin cast the first stone” Scripture verse to sidestep addressing sin directly. Parton does exactly the same thing here.
Even Christian singer Lauren Daigle has gotten caught in the trap, saying, “I’m not God,” when asked if homosexual behavior was a sin.
But this isn’t a “sidestep” or an “avoidance tactic.” It is literally citing scripture as a way to respond to a question, no different than quoting Matthew 7:1-6, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
Perhaps The Federalist piece could have delved more into the conflicted nature of Christian teachings on love, acceptance, LGBT people, and on Dolly Parton’s stances specifically. Perhaps another interesting angle (however cynical) would have been how as a savvy businesswoman, Dolly Parton knows how to avoid controversy and appeal to everyone, and leverages her Christian faith in that service.
But instead the article seems to insist upon a stern litmus test where Parton and others must actively call out homosexuals, even though it is in direct disobedience with many of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, their actions are not enough and they should be rebuked as false Christians. This feels very similar to the insistence that music artists must bend a knee and say “Black Lives Matter” that we saw from a few years ago, and that landed Dolly Parton on an “Accountability Spreadsheet.”
It’s important to clarify that The Federalist article wasn’t an effort to “cancel” Dolly Parton, and it wasn’t especially severe. The article was more an attempt to tell readers to take a cautionary approach to adopting or celebrating Dolly Parton as a “cultural Christian” since her faith is supposedly so shallow. The article also strangely makes a counter-argument in Dolly’s favor by pointing out that she also refuses to rebuke Trump supporters, saying, “I have a lot of fans out there, and I don’t want to offend anybody,” as if taking the correct political stance according to The Federalist somehow softens the blow of her bad Christianity.
But honestly, the biggest question is, why any of this even matters and who exactly cares, especially since it’s an argument that boils down almost entirely to semantics? So often on the political right we hear people say of musicians, “shut up and sing.” Now The Federalist is attempting to goad Dolly Parton toward entering the divisive cultural and political fray simply because she’s apparently not Christian enough, even though she is constantly in the public eye espousing her faith at a time when people are abandoning Christianity and formal religion in record numbers because of the very kind of moral preening and haranguing found in in this Federalist article.
Searching on social media, you can see reams upon reams of comments talking about how “conservatives,” “Christians,” “right-wingers,” “MAGA,” and even “Fox News” are coming for Dolly Parton. But this is not the case at all. Most of these folks love Dolly Parton too, and think an article like the one in The Federalist is silly and superfluous. But this is the collateral damage that accrues when the Cliff Notes version of an article gets shared, a.k.a. “Right wing attacks Dolly Parton.”
It’s unclear if the article even represents the average reader of The Federalist. The only person it represents for sure is the writer Erika Anderson, who has a right to share that opinion, but also has a right to be universally repudiated by the public for it, which she currently is. Even if you think all gay people should be banished to an island, this still was a bad, counter-productive moment for your cause. So why take it? Why overtly attempt to politicize a extremely popular and nearly universally-beloved music legend?
Even if you agree 100% with the argument being made by The Federalist, it’s important to recognize that Dolly Parton is not the problem here. By going after her, you’re only going to draw undue criticism to your outlet and your cause because so many people love Dolly. Unfair or not, any time many people see an article from The Federalist from now on, they’re going to remember it as the publication that went after Dolly Parton.
And none of this mentions the immense amount of charity work Dolly Parton has done over the decades, and all the other things she has done to prove her value as a human and a Christian. Of course Dolly Parton isn’t perfect either. She says this herself, and specifically cites this as the reason she refuses to pass judgement on others.
The truth is that some find anyone or anything that can be universally agreed upon as problematic because they benefit from the public being divided and warring amongst each other, especially in the political space and specifically in political media. This is why people on both the right and left have attempted to weaponize and discredit Dolly Parton, and why the public never stands for it.
Jesus broke bread with sinners, and so has Dolly Parton. There are many things people can learn by studying the lives of both of these people, even if they don’t consider themselves Christians, or Dolly Parton fans. Clearly, writer Ericka Andersen hasn’t learned from either.
June 10, 2024 @ 8:13 am
Folks, obviously this article has political and culture war angles. But if the comments get out of control, they will get turned off. So let’s all try to be respectful to each other and constructive to the discussion.
June 11, 2024 @ 3:09 am
You provoke others by writing an “article [that you admit] has political and culture war angles”, of which you admonish readers to “be respectful…and constructive” with respect to your biased self-righteous opinions upon non-musical subject matter
You’re okay at putting words together, but your social justice angles are problematic for many obvious reasons. You say you’re about “SAVING COUNTRY MUSIC” but in truth you go about setting up one-sided irrelevant arguments that by nature compel responses which have nothing to do with music, period. Hence you’ve now given us your opinion on a non musical publication “The Federalist.” You’ve started a fire by accusing the Federalist of starting a fire, and you tell those witnessing your behavior to “be respectful”. However, with ‘respect’ to your problems and the way you take these problems out on others, I cannot say this is possible.
If you want to proselytize or defend values held by Dolly Parton on a non-musical level, then just say so. Just don’t call it SAVING COUNTRY MUSIC and please don’t expect readers to passively embrace these “political and culture war angles” as somehow musically relevant.
In short, you’ve abandoned your declared purpose yet will engage anything unrelated. Below, Mr. John R Baker, has apparently summed it all up, including yourself: “Publications and online attention seekers say dumb stuff to generate interest and it works.”
June 11, 2024 @ 7:22 am
Oh calm down. I was just asking folks to be civil with their comments, which for the most part, people have been. Dolly Parton is a country music artist. When she has been attacked on the left, I have defended her. She was attacked on the right, I also defended her. If discussion about the recent article in “The Federalist” hadn’t gone massive online, I might have ignored it. But it was a bigger story than anything that happened at CMA Fest last week in Nashville. So I gave my opinion. This is what I do.
June 17, 2024 @ 12:36 am
you’ve entered into lbgtq politics to save country music. ?? this should get you a bigger audience and paid advertising at the very least. smart move. more skinny on the aldean drunk too, go hard
June 17, 2024 @ 6:23 am
No. I have defended Dolly Paton numerous times when she has been attacked on the left. I have posted links to these instances in the body of this article. When she got attacked on the right, I did the same thing. My job is not to enter into LGBT politics, but to defend the right for performers to hold whatever beliefs they choose, and not be politicized by the extremes on the right or the left. That is my job at “Saving Country Music.”
But if you believe attacking Dolly Parton for not being severe enough in her Christian beliefs is going to be fruitful, you go right ahead. Best of luck to you. Or, attempt to understand the informed and nuanced perspective that was shared here.
June 11, 2024 @ 10:42 am
The side you quickly took, no matter how diplomatically it may have been phrased, shows which side you land on, in this particular fray, and likely, the whole culture warrior “war.”
Any proclamations or judgements noted after that point, haven’t much weight.
The Federalist thought coming for an American icon would inflame their audience, and inspire rage-reacts, and even if you see that as exploitative, your reaction is hard not to notice, so perhaps judging others is disingenuous. SCM reports on country music icons, the more the batter, and rightwing permission is not actually necessary.
June 11, 2024 @ 10:33 pm
Really? This is a country issue since it is involving a country artist. And many aspects of country, including arrests, bad behavior, drugs, alcohol, adultry….and….politics have been discussed here. Just look up “Jadon Aldean” and you’ll overdose on the his folly, let alone his creative process or artistry. What’s good for the hoose is good for the gander, red white or blue.
And yes, this is a worthy discussion to expose the nonsense and heresy if an article about DP.
June 13, 2024 @ 9:30 am
Can’t agree w/ Dolly’s view of alphabet sex orientation. She is so loving, she’s pardoning those violationing 10 Commandments. That’s too much of a big heart on her part. Love her to pieces, praying she finds out gays need to find God and change their ways
June 16, 2024 @ 12:09 am
Please, show me the commandment that says homosexuality is a sin. It does not exist. Here they are for you 1) you shall have no other gods before me 2) You shall not make idols 3) you shall not take the name of the Lord in vain 4) keep the Sabbath holy 5) honor your father and mother 6) you shall not murder 7) you shall not commit adultery 8) you shall not steal 9) you shall not bear false witness 10) you shall not covet. Perhaps, rather than spending so much time judging other’s faith and Christianity you might want to 1) worry about getting the beam out of your own eye and 2) learning the simplest rules of your religion (which any child who has ever attended vacation Bible school could recite for you).
June 16, 2024 @ 12:14 am
I think you need to go back and study the 10 commandments. No where in the 10 commandments does it say anything about homosexuality.
June 16, 2024 @ 2:32 pm
Gotta agree with you.
In the quoted article, Dolly Parton innocently tells us:
“I’m not a good enough person or a good enough Christian to judge and criticize other people,”
She says this on one hand, while on the other, her speeches which directly support transsexual children and homosexuality otherwise act to judge and criticise the Christians who reject her “values.” Mr. Trigger apparently likes to dish this up, in the name of Saving Country Music.
Maybe both Dolly and the saviors of country music should first understand that Christianity is NOT about tolerance. It is all about forgiveness. It is all about helping those who want to stop their course of action and who want turn around. Christianity is not about sheltering and protecting those who criticise and judge it. And for young folks like Mr. Trigger, this means that when he crosses the wrong line with those who know the difference, and then tells them to “Calm down“, its really obvious what he’s up to.
To quote Mr. John R. Baker, below, for the second time:
“Publications and online attention seekers say dumb stuff to generate interest and it works.”
June 16, 2024 @ 7:53 pm
Can you please cite Dolly’s “speeches” where she says she “directly supports” transsexual children, and criticizes Christians?
June 16, 2024 @ 8:24 pm
Let me guess. You are a Trump supporter, a cult member of the psychopath that has broken each and every commandment dozens of time. You’ll vote for that piece of shit but will call Dolly out. Good grief.
June 16, 2024 @ 8:46 pm
Let’s please not get into name calling back and forth and other divisive topics not related to this story. Otherwise, this comments section will have to be shut down.
Thank you.
June 14, 2024 @ 10:05 am
What is so frustratingly obtuse is Mrs. Anderson using Jesus’s own teachings to make this claim against Dolly. The absolute gall…She says Dolly uses “He who is withoutmsin, cast the first stone” as an out…as a defense. Yet the bible teaches us that Jesus said “he who is without sin cast the first stone.” So living as the Lord taught now makes you an unfit person to be a “true” Christian? As my poor ol Appalathian mama would have said about Mrs. anderson…”Bless her heart.”
June 10, 2024 @ 8:35 am
The Federalist is pretty well known for trolling with clickbait hackery. So trolling is their business and business is good.
This is the root of the modern discourse problem though. Publications and online attention seekers say dumb stuff to generate interest and it works. Then this kind of nonsense just becomes what people believe because it’s what they hear . And discourse becomes a competition to see who can say the most extreme thing to generate the most reaction. This competition is how we got to wokism and Trumpism.
June 11, 2024 @ 8:04 am
I wish more people actually read the Bible.
The Federalist commits the worst crimes against God, the actual sins of Sodom.
Ezekiel makes it very clear what matters and what does not in chapter 16, verse 49:
“Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”
June 10, 2024 @ 8:38 am
The federalist article literally quotes Jesus to say “as a Christian you can’t just take these teachings and live your life by them! You gotta keep hating people for being gay!” Trying to make hating gay people a litmus test for calling yourself Christian good Lord. Somehow though that’s the verse from Leviticus that’s the litmus test not the shellfish.
Anyway sell your possessions and give them to the poor. Sorry for quoting Jesus again I know that’s not very Christian
June 10, 2024 @ 8:42 am
I mean, heck, you want to get into Leviticus, Leviticus also says “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” (Leviticus 19: 33-34). I realize that that might not be the subject of this article, but if people really want to have Biblical Litmus tests…
June 10, 2024 @ 11:38 am
Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Ned Flanders is questioning his faith and he says: “I’ve done everything the Bible says, even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff”
June 10, 2024 @ 12:30 pm
You barely understand the Bible at all if you want to hold up one verse from Leviticus literally to make a point, but not others from that book.
June 10, 2024 @ 12:45 pm
Bitch, I spend 16 years of my life in Catholic education. I’ve read the Bible completely through more times than you can even count. I guarantee I know the Bible a helluva lot better than you do.
June 10, 2024 @ 12:48 pm
Folks, this is the exact kind of thing I would like to avoid. It’s been a very constructive conversation so far. From what I can tell, both of you are on the same general side of the argument, so let’s not get into a pissing match here. Thank you.
June 10, 2024 @ 12:50 pm
You somehow passed over the verses that explain how women are to be treated while on their period in the book of Leviticus
June 12, 2024 @ 12:25 pm
No, I didn’t miss it. But I’m not the one who goes around claiming we should base everything in our country on the Bible.
June 12, 2024 @ 2:56 pm
In that same thought we each can read a verse or passage and get a totally different perception of it. I believe that’s why God gave us brains. I always keep in mind the Bible though sent by God was still written by men. They left out some books even so…
June 13, 2024 @ 9:34 am
Considering the way you speak, you MUST be a Bible scholar! The 10 Commandments say homosexuality is a sin. Dolly loves ppl so much, she overlooks their sin to love them.
June 10, 2024 @ 1:07 pm
i believe that is exactly the point these two are making. most christians today only pick and choose the rules they like, meanwhile eating whatever they want, wearing mixed fabrics, not being rich, etc.
June 25, 2024 @ 5:07 pm
We as humans always pick out the parts we like. Nothing new. Just don’t try and feed me only your favorite parts.
June 11, 2024 @ 10:48 pm
That one Levticus tract is what turns many away from Christianity (and its hypocrisy), so that’s an issue – a big one.
Tired of the Bible being used as a cudgel against those who differ or don’t believe in it.
June 10, 2024 @ 8:38 am
All I’m gonna say is that, whatever your political beliefs are, Dolly Parton is a National F—ing Treasure.
June 12, 2024 @ 7:57 am
Why is she a national treasure? Can you explain it to me? I’m Canadian and don’t get the love. Is she one of those ‘beloved’ things you Americans worship for SOME reason?
June 12, 2024 @ 8:09 am
…you’re doing a “south park” parody, don’t you?
June 12, 2024 @ 11:50 am
‘don’t you’… what are you trying to say?
June 12, 2024 @ 11:36 am
Replying by sending you the comment from Joe Attaboy, concerning Connie Smith.
SCM article:
June 12, 2024
The Best Country & Roots Albums of 2024 So Far
Connie Smith’s “Love, Prison, Wisdom And Heartaches” has been on repeat for me since it’s release in April. We saw her at a Saturday Opry appearance in April was reminded why she’s an American treasure. 82 years old, 55 albums in and she just kills it. Having Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives and Pig Robbins as your band sure doesn’t hurt either. We all talk and read about young country artists renewing traditions. She is the tradition.
Connie is the epitome of class, and vocal talent.
Dolly knew the way to give herself an edge was to have the biggest breast implants in the room.
Dolly became addicted to that version of herself, & kept buying bigger, and larger implants.
Bless her heart.
She gave the men what they wanted.
This has been the largest part of her marketing “shrewdness.”
Connie Smith gave us class and powerhouse vocals.
June 14, 2024 @ 10:08 am
You know Gordon Lightfoot and Bryan Afams, right? Dolly is the both of them times 100….then add in all her altruism.
June 14, 2024 @ 1:08 pm
What the double fuck are you talking about. Altruism? Ha ha ha ha
June 16, 2024 @ 12:29 am
I’ll explain to you right after you explain why Canadians always feel the need to stick their nose into conversations that have nothing to do with them, their country or their politics and then attempt to bash the U.S. in some way. Is it that Canada is just so plain vanilla that your sad little lives are that boring?? ????????????
June 16, 2024 @ 10:31 am
Ha ha you hit the nail on the head. Our lives are so boring not having to worry about being shot to death at the grocery store.
June 10, 2024 @ 8:44 am
The article itself was really, really weak. The author found one or two quotes from Dolly to support her thesis – that was it. And it seems Dolly made those statements as joking, off-hand comments around controversial issues. In other words, she didn’t really wade into those waters. That’s completely fine.
Pure clickbait. What a shocker that I don’t agree with Dolly Parton on every societal, cultural, political, and religious issue. And this isn’t like Jason Isbell, who spends so much time telling us all how terrible and deplorable we are. He deserves public obloquy, not Dolly.
June 10, 2024 @ 9:45 am
I’m not really that familiar with “The Federalist.” I have read a few things over there before, and even if I didn’t agree with them, they seemed to be well-formed opinions and arguments. This was not that. You really think you’re going to call Daolly Parton out with a 4 minute read?
The term “clickbait” is often overused. I get accused of that at times, and it’s often for articles with 30-40 paragraphs. Nobody is going to spend that amount of time composing “clickbait.” But this Federalist article might be a good example of clickbait. They basically just took the essence of an idea, and didn’t even flesh their own opinion out well.
June 10, 2024 @ 8:45 am
“Why overtly attempt to politicize a extremely popular and nearly universally-beloved music legend?”
Like you said at the end of the first paragraph: for the clicks. Some people still believe there is no such thing as bad publicity and will make whatever silly statement they think will lead to the most traffic to their site. It’s a shame we’re even discussing this.
June 10, 2024 @ 9:35 am
“The Federalist” is right-wing in much the same way Jon Leibowitz is legitimate news – they just give the appearance of these things while literally being anything but.
I just thought this needed pointing out. No one takes “The Federalist” seriously the way they take Jon Leibowitz as serious news, even if both of these entities suck at what they are supposed to represent.
However, Trigger, thank you for trashing “The Federalist” in this piece. They need to be taken to task and need to be exposed as the shit they are. But before anyone goes off the rails, I am pro America, not right and not left. I just want us all to get along but until politics can get out of the lives of ordinary everyday people, this will never be a reality.
June 10, 2024 @ 3:04 pm
“they just give the appearance of these things while literally being anything but.”
Nah. The federalist is right wing garbage through and through.
June 10, 2024 @ 9:43 am
Dolly casts no stones
June 10, 2024 @ 9:51 am
Dumb article. Equally if not more dumb: “Right wing attacks Dolly Parton.”
June 10, 2024 @ 10:13 am
If The Federalist was a physical publication, it wouldn’t be worth being used as toilet paper.
June 10, 2024 @ 10:52 am
I’m a reader of The Federalist, its a great website, but when I saw that, I was thinking, “Oh well, even Babe Ruth struck out sometimes.”
June 10, 2024 @ 10:56 am
“And God so loved the world he gave us Country music.”
June 10, 2024 @ 11:07 am
articles next up for The Federalist:
Hank Sr. didn’t really write my life
You can smoke marijuana in Muskogee
Hank Snow didn’t go everywhere
Propping a corpse up at a jukebox after death will make the bar smell
June 10, 2024 @ 11:41 am
I’m dumbfounded on this one on several levels. You can’t go after Dolly – that’s like yelling at your grandma (And of course Dolly did nothing wrong) I don’t ever read articles on the Federalist so I am unaware of their schtick but this is straight up fundamentalist Christian boomer click-bait. I don’t understand undermining your own political agenda this badly. I scroll through facebook sometimes and there are a lot of religious boomers and autistic zealots who are thirsty to bring back their imagined ideal of a “moralistic 1980’s.”
I have never heard of Ericka Andersen but after Google image searching her picture it’s possible that she is trying to lean into the same sort of Libertarian thirst trap that Josie the Red-Headed Libertarian and others have – because it directly plays into a smaller but enthusiastic base of lonely single men and 60 yr old husbands who haven’t received a blowjob since the Reagan admin.
Speaking as someone whose beliefs are mostly Libertarian/populist/conspiracy theorist, I have had many discussions with Libertarian purists and they often get lost in the weeds pursuing some utoptian ideal that can never happen. I understand what the Bible says about homosexuality but where is your political strategy? We need subsidized housing and taxes and the police and there will be still be theatre students who want to sleep with their own gender. So many Republicans don’t know what to do when they are winning and kinda freak out and go religious authoritarian. In the same way when the Republicans get a majority in the House and Lindsay Graham, the closeted homosexual, wants to ban all abortions.
June 10, 2024 @ 11:58 am
Lots of tradcon women out there on Twitter. It is an easy graft.
June 10, 2024 @ 12:28 pm
It’s a somewhat fascinating topic to me. They use internet fame for their own personal gratification. It applies to anyone whose wife is posting sexy pictures of herself online more and more after she got that blue check mark. “Might as well look for a one bedroom apartment now dude and get used to seeing the kids once a month. Mommy is internet famous now and can do better.”
June 10, 2024 @ 2:21 pm
There was a pretty funny interaction a couple of days ago on X. Some right wing female writer was talking about dating and how height and looks don’t matter. Just go up and shoot your shot. Someone asked about her boyfriend’s height. She said 6 foot 5.
The comments were great.
June 10, 2024 @ 3:58 pm
HAHA Exactly! People will say anything if it gives them the chance to level up. And idk what the hell is wrong with men to where all these women are now social media famous for spouting boilerplate men’s right talking points. NO WOMAN EVER THINKS ABOUT DATING FROM THE MINDSET OF A MAN. Lauren Southern also comes to mind – she was the darling of the alt-right then she married a rich asian Fed from australia and now claims he abused her. And all the Christian influencers online are using Jesus and God as some sort of emotional prosperity genie and post motivational quotes that are no where in Scripture. That Josie the redheaded libertarian who posted on the Federalist and guest starred on Tim Pool’s show orignally showed her husband in her social media then that slowly went away and now it appears that she is a single mom. Those endless cleavage and semi-sexy pics on the internet were not for nothing.
People will give up credibility for fame.
June 11, 2024 @ 12:11 pm
I have never received good dating advice from a woman (be it a girlfriend, mother, aunt, friend, etc.)
Yup. Every time, they go viral, the breakup follows. Fame is a drug, especially when thousands are singing your praises.
June 12, 2024 @ 6:11 am
“I have never received good dating advice from a woman (be it a girlfriend, mother, aunt, friend, etc.)”
lmao. you don’t say.
June 10, 2024 @ 11:47 am
My pastor teaches that you’ll never go forth and make disciples if everyone thinks you’re the weirdo no one wants to be around. The church has the modern reputation it does because it has earned it. It’s losing legitimacy and influence specifically because of stuff like this
Showing and sharing the universal love of Jesus Christ is how you make believers out of people. Love God and love your neighbor. Its Mark 12:30-31 in your NIV Bible.
June 10, 2024 @ 11:57 am
The church has a negative reputation because it has been attacked by academia and mainstream society for 50+ years.
June 10, 2024 @ 12:15 pm
“Communism can’t fail, it can only be failed”
June 10, 2024 @ 12:24 pm
If that helps you feel better about dwindling church attendance nationwide I hope the sand you stick you head in isn’t too hot.
A church that regularly shouts at everyone about sin and falls victim to constant sex scandal across multiple denominations should try something different.
June 10, 2024 @ 1:08 pm
i assure you people have had problems with the church for a lot longer than that.
June 11, 2024 @ 12:06 pm
Sure. People have been foolish for centuries.
Thanks for writing out the obvious.
June 10, 2024 @ 5:02 pm
…or because organized religion has made their own bed and now they have to lie in it. The church most of us over age 45 grew up with preached alot of fire and brimstone and “you are going to hell if you don’t straighten up.” Gee, I wonder how they got such a negative reputation.
But hey, playing the victim card works for everyone and everything these days.
June 11, 2024 @ 11:02 pm
Yeah, like “academia” has something to do with prosperity gospel, private jets, mansions, sex scandals, “megachurches”, blasphemy and politicizing sacred texts for personal aggrandizement.
Galatians 6:7
“….you reap what you sow…”
June 10, 2024 @ 11:56 am
The Federalist is a great publication but the writer missed this one.
But let’s face it; Dolly is the consummate businesswoman. She knows how to keep her nose clean and appeal to both sides. Good for her.
June 10, 2024 @ 12:44 pm
This is my favorite anti-Dolly piece, about how she fucks over her employees: https://longreads.com/2018/10/16/living-with-dolly-parton/
I like her music though.
June 10, 2024 @ 1:14 pm
Who cares? Dolly is Dolly and special.
June 10, 2024 @ 3:40 pm
What do Hanoi Jane and Ericka Anderson have in common?
Totally clueless about the world around them. Jane finally grew a brain but not until after getting my uncle spit on in his dress greens. Thanks for that first memory of meeting my favorite uncle, cow.
Ericka may never grow a brain. She has obviously never studied history a day in her life or anything about genetics.
Ericka, I sugest you find an audience who doesn’t care what you say about celebrities. Then you will achieve true bottom of the barrel status.
Miss Dolly,
I have been a fan for decades and I also refuse to judge people based on what their preferences are.
Haven’t been to Dollywood yet but maybe one day.
June 10, 2024 @ 3:56 pm
Worrying about a website like The Federalist is like worrying about what Fox news thinks is important.
Dolly will be fine.
June 10, 2024 @ 3:59 pm
In other news, the Federalist has just sent its 220 millionth free book to underprivileged kids.
June 11, 2024 @ 2:23 am
Dolly doesn’t just send books to underprivileged kids. They go to all children, regardless of family income. She didn’t want any child to feel singled out.
June 10, 2024 @ 5:40 pm
“Eepish?” Never heard of that one. Is it like “sheepish?”
June 10, 2024 @ 6:11 pm
Ah its just one article in a magazine that i doubt is highly popular. Not a big deal. I kind of get what the author means but at the same time, its not up to individuaĺs to judge others. You can personally judge the sin and say you dont believe in it. Dolly is kind of stradling the fence but i dont believe that just because you entertain people by singing or whatever, doesnt mean you have to subject yourself to the scrutiny of people or the press.
June 10, 2024 @ 7:09 pm
I think this was a case of Google algorithm misattribution. Dolly being the POP culture idol that she is. There are many of the authors readership who are of a less discerning evangelical Christian persuasion who probably idolize her as a spiritual role model of some sort. The author pointed out that this is not the case, indeed, as others have mentioned in the comments above, she seems mostly concerned with not doing anything which doesn’t constitute “good business”.
Take it or leave it but, despite the poor landing that the article had, it begs the question- is dolly just a brand at this point? Music output of late has been nothing of note and I don’t think you can argue she isn’t leveraging her past notoriety with modern marketing gimmicks to keep the pesos flowing. When someone isn’t producing a tangible product aside from a brand any longer (I’m sure someone could correct me on this but…. Is it just me or has it been a minute since I’ve wanted to shell out $30 for a dolly LP?) they’re kind of relying on their perceived persona to keep traction. It’s fair to look beyond the music and dissect the dept or character in that case. And here it does seem an awful lot like dolly just doesn’t really stand for much besides “good vibes” which is getting a bit trite. Again… Not really what the federalist author succeeded in conveying but sort of the same principle. At the end of the day, bro country fans excluded, the face (and rest) of Dolly Parton is by far and away the most likely to grace the front of a T-shirt worn by those who most strongly represent the antithesis of country music. At least in my neck of the woods. The real question is do these people really idolize dolly or is she some figurehead or cynicism over boomer era excess that younger folks seem to increasingly feel the need to rail against? (For the record, born in the 90s- just don’t think generational prejudice is particularly productive).
June 10, 2024 @ 9:19 pm
Your comment has more thought-provoking commentary than the entire article in “The Federalist.” As I said above, there is an interesting thread where you can delve into Dolly’s shrewdness as a businesswoman and how she leverages her universal appeal to build an empire. There was an opening right there for The Federalist to take it.
June 11, 2024 @ 11:23 pm
As shrewd as Dolly may be, the outcomes are benevolent – and that’s fine. So there’s no need to “unpack” that. Empire building, well that’s what business is. (Just ask Madge, Bey and Taylor). So, no, it’s not that deep.
June 11, 2024 @ 2:33 am
Dolly has continued to record and release new music. It may not have been something you would have bought, but she has been extremely active in the 2020’s musically. Counting an official hits album, she will have released five albums of material between 2020-2024. That’s working pretty fast for modern recording artists. Last year’s “Rockstar” capped at 39 tracks once all of the bonus tracks were released. She is ending this year with a new family album, “Smoky Mountain DNA”. This will be another double album, so she is still releasing new material consistently.
June 11, 2024 @ 8:54 am
Fair enough- though I didn’t intend to imply she wasn’t producing musical content. Just nothing of note to me. I am a fan of Dolly’s- admittedly not enough of one to have followed her recent day to day output to the point where any of her old songs which stay in rotation are finding any new company. The Rockstar album got one play through from the wife which I could have done without.
Point here is that it seems like Dolly’s extra abundance of popularity is due to marketing her persona. Sure she’s popular for all the right reasons with the faithful fans of her music. But take any other classic country star you consider equally prolific and talented and ask yourself whether you’re more or less likely to see their name and likeness airbrushed/ emblazoned in rhinestones/ “vintage” 80s regalia at a modern music festival- or any other public venue for that matter.
My question is whether her sainted status today (again, Im a fan here- I dont say that sarcastically- i’ve just literally seen Saint Dolly t-shirts kicking around the local enlightened-college-student hangouts) has more to do with fans of her fantastic back catalog and career or with how your average starbucks population perceives as her being some sort of “OG Maren Morris”; what we perceive as Dolly choosing not to get into a fracas on one side or the other over contentious issues, whether out of Christian kindness or business savvy- is seen by some as confirmation of her allyship to their “side”. Which of course isn’t in any way productive in helping the cause of country music.
The follow up question to that is, does Dolly just keep getting roped into these conversations that she’d rather keep out of or is the entire thing a business calculation? Not at all insinuating that Big Dolly arranged for this Federalist article- it seems clear to me that the author was probably just chasing some clicks- but I don’t buy that her and her marketing crew aren’t extremely aware of the demographics and sentiment of who’s purchasing tshirts. Maybe we cant think of Dolly in the context of who she is to country music fans anymore- she is an institution well beyond Country MUSIC and its full well her right to lean into that. Hopefully just not in a pre-1968 Elvis sort of way.
June 11, 2024 @ 4:25 pm
Cornelius, thank you for responding and I enjoy having this conversation as I think it is important and is something not discussed enough. I am a huge Dolly fan and have been since 1989, so I go back a bit. I think some of what is going on currently is certainly marketing and Dolly has a wonderful “Brand” manager with IMG Licensing. Since they began in 2019, we have been flooded with art prints, t-shirts, greeting cards, perfumes, pet clothing, party supplies, and Duncan Hines food products. It can be a bit much. Just last week, Dolly announced her new line of Dolly wine.
Some of these things are items Dolly has talked about doing for over 30 years. If you read the questions in the back of her 1994 autobiography, she talks about wanting to have her own frozen food line. That is launching in the fall of this year with Conagra Foods. Part of this is Dolly chasing her dreams while she still can, but I do think it can run the risk of diluting her artistry if not totally overshadowing it.
She is a wonderful songwriter and even with massive songs by Whitney Houston the the new Beyonce cover, her “deep” cuts are not covered often. I would love for Dolly to put a focus on her songwriting and hire someone to push her songs, especially more obscure things, to current artists across all genres.
I’m all for Dolly chasing her dreams and doing what she wants to do. I will admit, earlier this year when she mentioned being “content” with her music career, that was jarring to me. While she has done just about every style from classic country to pop, gospel, bluegrass, dance and rock. I never thought I’d hear her say she was content with that part of her career. Case in point, in the 2020’s alone she will have published more books than she has in any other decade previous. Add in all of the Dollywood expansions, hotels/resorts, TV projects, and movies, the amount of news announcements and projects are mind blowing. I am hoping she doesn’t become overexposed and I feel that could happen.
In some ways, Dolly is more popular now than she has been in any previous time that I have been a fan. I was too little to be a part of the 1977 pop-crossover period when her popularity first exploded. But these new fans, the new demographic, how loyal are they? That’s the million dollar question.
Another part of this is the things Dolly said she still would like to do. She would like a clothing line, women’s undergarment line, a line of wigs and cosmetics (two things she has already had once in 1993/1994), and has mentioned wanting to relaunch the “Dolly” doll. While this is all fine if that’s what she wants to do. More power to her and I will be right along for the ride. But all of this can come to a crashing halt if things are not handled properly.
I think, in some ways, Willie Nelson has achieved about the same status among the younger masses that Dolly has and I can see the same thing now happening with Reba McEntire and her endless career announcements. It’s great all three are so very busy and have all of these opportunities, but where does it go in the long run?
Thanks for all of the interesting insights and I hope you don’t mind my rambling!
June 10, 2024 @ 8:32 pm
Thank god I’m an atheist.
June 10, 2024 @ 9:33 pm
As a gay woman and now ex-Christian (grew up in the Church and finally gave up) I really appreciate this article.
I wanted to add a couple things, but keep deleting them. But thanks for the article.
June 11, 2024 @ 4:40 am
Another excellent example of why so many are leaving the church in droves. Nasty people like the very judgmental and obviously profoundly bigoted Ericka Andersen, who displays none of the fruit of the spirit, nor any resemblance to Christ whatsoever. She reminds us all of why there’s nothing worth hearing from delusional, closed minded evangelicals, whose main goal in life is to make themselves more comfortable at the expense of everyone they don’t like.
June 11, 2024 @ 5:19 am
The fact that Parton is criticized by both the radical left and the radical right is evidence that she’s onto something. Jesus was criticized by the religious and political leaders of his day as well as those who felt he wasn’t doing enough to overthrow the Roman occupiers. As a pastor of over 20 years, I have come to the conclusion that I don’t need to take a stance on every issue and nor do I have to support every cause.
The Bible teaches me to take a clear stance on one issue though – all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, God demonstrated his love for me that while we were sinners Christ died for us, and the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
June 11, 2024 @ 7:13 am
I was attempting to make a well thought out comment here, but like others here, the length was getting out of hand for a comment section.
The gist of it is this: Articles of this type aren’t really about Dolly at all, but more about the exposure she can bring. She is an icon who not only transcends country music, but generations and cultures. She is loved and respected by most everyone. And in this case, she is a pawn.
The goal of these extremist publications on both sides is to score a win. Pressure Dolly to commit to your side and you get the win of exclaiming her support. If she commits to the other side, you have another icon of evil to deride. A refusal to commit is a win for both sides as they have a continuing object of contention, and a warning to others that not even cultural icons are safe from the political divide.
The ultimate goal is to use the celebrity of Dolly as a means of furthering their agenda. The response shows it’s working. No one cares what Dolly actually thinks or believes. Only the publicity she draws, and scoring a win for the cause.
June 11, 2024 @ 8:20 am
The same Bible that tells you to not eat sea food, but guess what… Furthermore, a site called “The Federalist” shouldn’t be read at all. Lol
June 11, 2024 @ 5:53 pm
“You?”
No, that was a command for the Jewish nation under the Law of Moses.
June 11, 2024 @ 10:31 am
It’s almost as if the article was written as controlled opposition. I kid, but I can’t think of a less effective arrow to fire in the culture war than to baselessly attack a public figure who is beloved by generations and people of all political persuasions.
June 11, 2024 @ 10:44 am
The predominate theme in Christianity today is the demonization of anyone who doesn’t profess the exact beliefs (often straight bigotry) they profess to believe and practice. Anything religious zealots disagree with is labeled “liberal” or “evil”, even though they do the same things themselves. For example, there are plenty of women who sit in a pew every Sunday who have had an abortion. But those same people demonize anyone who isn’t them and has done the same. I do find some positives: the church is shrinking in numbers and losing its overall influence.
June 11, 2024 @ 10:59 am
I’m not sure it’s fair to say it’s the “predominate” theme of Christians. There are extremes of every viewpoint, and unfortunately, they tend to define that viewpoint because they tend to be the loudest, and the ones the media exploits to define the other side. I think most Christians, and even most Federalist readers see the article as nonsense.
June 11, 2024 @ 10:20 pm
Yes, there are horrible extremes of many viewpoints. Some utilize secular texts (Marxists, fascists etc). However glaringly it is one set who glaringly, and with impunity, utilizes things, so sacred, religion and the Bible to leverage their extremist views. Whether Christians or Federalists view this as nonsense – the fact it was published at all speaks volumes – the silence of their own critics and gatekeepers is deafening…
June 11, 2024 @ 12:08 pm
That isn’t a positive for society.
Atheistic nations have killed the most people in history. See the Soviet Union.
June 11, 2024 @ 11:30 pm
Religion doesn’t kill? So much for the Crusades, huh? Perhaps, “religion” may not kill outright, but it certainly divides and subjugates ….and is quite “corporate” and “political”.
June 12, 2024 @ 3:49 am
The Soviet Union at the time of those killings was a cult of personality around Stalin.
But I guess you still can’t have an intellectually honest conversation with you so I will leave it at that.
June 11, 2024 @ 10:56 am
Gay men have loved Dolly Parton for the better part of 5 decades, she understood that they were part of her audience early on and whatever her personal feelings on the issues are, she is certainly not going to go out of her way to alienate a segment of fans that probably was sustaining her career at various points when she was less commercially viable. It’s not like there weren’t gay people existing in Nashville and the Appalachian hollers she grew up in either, if anything the shrewd business move has been how not to alienate her conservative fans while still remaining an authentic gay icon.
June 11, 2024 @ 12:41 pm
Used to love Dolly but her stance and words during covid really put me off her sadly.
Calling people who declined the jabs as ‘chicken scrat’ and cowards was shocking. But then she had some money in with big pharma of course.
No hint at an apology for being so wrong since.
June 11, 2024 @ 5:51 pm
Alright, I’ve got to provide some Christian Theology 101. The role of the Christian (in the Great Commission) is to preach the Gospel to a fallen world, which is to tell people to repent of their sins (which requires pointing those sins out) and turn to Jesus for a renewed life on earth and in eternity. There is a plethora of teachings on how Christians should then live, but that follows the act of becoming one.
In response to the common “judge not” refrain. You didn’t quote Matthew 7:1-6 as you stated. You stopped at the third verse.
Read verses four and five, in which Jesus commands his followers to stop sinning so that they CAN judge righteously: “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
And then in verse six, Jesus uses metaphors to instruct his followers that they need to use discernment (the act of judging) to avoid interacting with those who reject him: “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.”
The Bible is replete with many more directives to judge righteously and without hypocrisy.
I’ll keep it short but will end with this. Yes, Jesus broke bread with sinners. But that was to reach out to them, not to affirm their sinful lifestyles. He told the woman caught in adultery to go and sin no more. His mere presence convicted the cheating tax collector into returning what he had stolen. Time and again, Jesus told the world they must repent or perish.
June 12, 2024 @ 8:06 am
Yeah and then he walked around the fish market and all those people got rid of those lobsters!
And then there was the time he went to Milan to make sure no mixtures of fibres were used in the clothing by just being around the weavers.
What a guy!
June 13, 2024 @ 11:45 am
You can provide Christian theology 101 if you wish, as you see it. That is your right. Yet, it remains that Jesus never said anything about gay people leading sinful lifestyles. That came more from Jerry Falwell and his so-called moral majority, where Falwell admitted he would have had no movement if it weren’t for his constant gay criticisms. Also, Jesus talks about eunuchs in Matthew 19:11-12. Don’t forget that. I submit that anti gay, especially male homosexuality, gets more anger because of sociological reasons. That is, gay men are a threat to a macho society in ways that men, especially straight men, aren’t aware of. The anti-gay stuff really comes from Paul and not Jesus, and I would argue that Christianity is Paul’s religion, not that of Jesus. You can learn compassion by going into someone’s world that is not your usual-I suggest we all need to that, and that includes you and me.
June 11, 2024 @ 6:46 pm
The writer already backtracked, she realized it was a dumb article with a weak argument, but hey she got clicks out of it so that’s all that matters
June 11, 2024 @ 8:32 pm
Yeah, I don’t give a shit what your bible says. But I generally like what Dolly says.
June 11, 2024 @ 10:02 pm
I’ll let all the desktop preachers here subvert the Bible to fit the extremist views of the reactionary Federalist and laugh at the asinine heresy and blasphemy.
I’m simply amazed at the lows people will stoop to criticize someone as innocuous as Dolly Parton. Of all people! If there is anyone in entertainment that puts in practice the benevolent teachings of Jesus, it’s DP.
Sure there are extremes all over the place but it is particular disgusting when one of set of extremist weaponizes the Bible and trivializes comparisons to Jesus…..
Yes, let us get back to Jesus, but not via prosperity gospel, ostentatious megachurches and politicing preachers who wilfully deal the truly “wicked” for their own selfish and political agenda.
Sheesh….
June 13, 2024 @ 8:25 pm
what time does the band start? jesus…i wish we could stick more to music, but i still love it here, trig.
June 15, 2024 @ 7:26 pm
The irony of the Federalist championing a ‘Christian’ way of thinking is that The Federalist Papers— the foundation of our government and our constitution — were written by our founders who adamantly did NOT want ANY religion in our government. Period. Those hypocrites at the Federalist show their stripes to be anti-American by our founding fathers’ standards. Our founders knew that their ancestors came to the new world to escape the tyranny of governments driven by religion. Honestly those publishers should get off their high horse and actually READ the Federalist Papers.
June 17, 2024 @ 12:00 am
BRIEFLY RESPONDING TO A REQUEST from the young Mr. Trigger, above, who asks: “Can you please cite Dolly’s “speeches” where she says she “directly supports” transsexual children, and criticizes Christians?”
1. In 1990 the Hollywood Transsexual Support Group published a story about Dolly’s 300 pound transsexual chaffeur, claiming that Dolly has said that there’s nothing wrong with transsexuals. “If I were a man I’d be a drag queen,” she admits. “I enjoy being a trashy dresser and I love gaudy things. I love to play with hair and makeup.”
source: https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/downloads/47429921g
2. Dolly in 1996 on the Tonight Show told Jay Leno that:.
“I’ve always said if I hadn’t been a woman, Id have been a drag queen… I have a lot of male impersonators. In fact, it’s great here in California. Every year at Halloween, I can go right down Santa Monica Blvd and nobody even knows it’s me . There’s about 40 of me walking around — Dolly’s everywhere.”
source: Buffalo Belles, Transgender Archives of Western New York, 1996 (p3).
https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1014&context=buffalobelles
3. DOLLY WANTS CHILDREN TO KNOW GOD MADE THEM THE WRONG SEX.
Concerning Tennessee’s recent state law banning surgical mutilation of minors
“I know how important this is to them. That’s who they are. They cannot help that any more than I can help being Dolly Parton, you know, the way people know me. If there’s something to be judged, that is God’s business. But we are all God’s children and how we are is who we are.” A lot of parents disagree with the judgmental influence Dolly exercises over children.
source: https://www.billboard.com/culture/pride/dolly-parton-tennessee-anti-trans-laws-1235462074/
4. “I have some of everybody in my own immediate family and in my circle of employees. I’ve got transgender people. I’ve got gays. I’ve got lesbians. I’ve got drunks. I’ve got drug addicts — all within my own family. I know and love them all, and I do not judge. I know how important this is to them,” she added. “That’s who they are.
source: https://www.salon.com/2023/11/03/dolly-parton-transgender-queer-support/
Hence Dolly tells us that there’s nothing judgmental in what she says, possibly due to her own judgment that It’s All Good. However, others might say Dolly’s statements are very judgmental. In fact, the above statements are but a drop in the bucket concering her “Christian” Agenda. Namely, simulate the appearance of a Christian, get inside the group and tear it apart. You don’t ever hear of her attacking satanist groups who openly push homosexuality, because “a house divided against itself cannot stand.”
Mr. Coroneos, I hope to have answered your questions of what and how Dolly in her role of influential media queen pushes ideas which, “otherwise act to judge and criticise the Christians who reject her values.” Our world is collapsing under anarchy. Dolly says that’s good if it means change on behalf of her “Christian” agenda.
Be it remembered the most powerful man who allegedly ever walked this earth made it very clear when speaking to the Old Testament and its controlling laws, that Don’t think I’ve come to do away with or undo the Law or the Prophets; I’ve come not to do away with or undo but to complete and fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished>” That day is coming.
June 17, 2024 @ 6:26 am
Not seeing any “speeches,” I’m seeing pull quotes from times when the media asked her questions and she answered.
So what exactly are we supposed to do with LGBT people? Banish them to an island? Incarcerate them? Kill them? What do you want a country singer to do about it?
Jesus broke bread with sinners. Once again, Dolly is following the teaching of Jesus. There is a difference between agreeing with all, and being accepting of all.