“Midwestern Doxology” was originally published in Oxford Magazine in 2009. Combining the personal essay with politics, it was inspired by the presidential campaign of 2008 and the portrait of the Midwest being thrown around as this homogenous, conservative playground. Which it is not. Since this essay was published, some of my opinions have changed regarding the potential of separating religion and politics. The original essay is no longer available on the journal’s website, and the version here has been slightly revised.