Opinion
In Lieu of Flowers
Food makes you think of the folk in your life and I thought about a certain person all day Tuesday.
Too Broke to Mend?
The societal negativity directed toward vulnerable people is the real measure of how a community connects with its members.
The Lost Cause Narrative Is a Danger to Democracy
The Lost Cause narrative threatens America’s continuing struggle toward egalitarianism, civic tranquility, democratic integrity, and human flourishing.
The View from East Africa: U.S. Evangelicals Need African Missionaries to Save Their Souls
If anything good comes out of the Trump era, perhaps it will be Christ turning the tables in global Christianity, as he did in the temple.
A Letter to My 5-Year-Old Self
Most people don’t want girls who think they can do what boys can do and certainly not those who think they can do it better.
A Call to Deliverance From Your Personal Savior
Assimilation to white civilization and Christianity is detrimental, if not death-dealing, to communities of color.
At the Hill of Crosses: A Story of Love Stronger Than Death
In the summer of 2024, Pablo Estrada Martín planted a cross at the foot of a hill near Šiauliai, in the Lithuanian countryside.
A Growing Wall of Love: Showing Visible Support to the LGBTQIA+ Community
One heart is small. Thousands of hearts together are not. They become a wall—not to shut people out, but to surround them with love.
Digital Fatigue and the Resurgence of Analog Living
Gen Z and millennials are reclaiming their own, swapping algorithmic scrolling for intentional hobbies and offline experiences. As an elder millennial, I’m with them.
Lindsey Graham and the Meaning-Making of Death
Everyone has a different relationship with the person who is dying. One of my roles is to help them all make room for grace and give one another space.
I Am a Preacher
I preach for Black lives and trans lives, immigrant lives and single-parent lives, and teenage mothers who think nobody sees them at all.
What Did Americans Celebrate Last Week? Can Love of Jesus and Country Co-exist?
On the 250th anniversary of American Independence, Missy and I attended a concert and fireworks show in North Texas. We expected to see and experience a lot of patriotism and love for the U.S.A. But something else occurred that we did not expect: Christian nationalism was on full display and celebrated.
Writing Between Ear and Eye
Somewhere in all of this, I keep returning to that old recliner by the bed, to the teenager with a notebook, trying to get something onto paper before it disappears.
The False Gospel of Respectability Politics
It’s a false choice; the oppressors will throw us under the bus whenever they please, no matter how respectable we think we are.
Resistance Folk for ‘Such a Time as This’
Billy Simons Jr. has created a compilation that captures the heartbreak of a nation sinking ever deeper into a Christian nationalist version of authoritarianism.
Baylor Listened to the Cellar Voices
A university that aspires to tier-one research status, alongside its liberal arts and seminary programs, failed to stand up for its mission.
How Do You Recover From Being a Pastor’s Wife?
The wounds run too deep, and my ability to feel safe within the four walls of a church is limited—at least at this point in my life.
Reign in Blood, Reign in Faith: How Slayer Made Me a Better Christian
‘Rein in Blood’ pressed my faith up against something real and asked whether it could hold.
The Human Quest for Knowledge
The rational activity of the soul is intrinsic to what it means to bear the image of God.
‘And Nearly Burned the Gravy’
Well, I thought I’d heard it all. But I got a new one today!
An IVF Journey | ‘Hope. That’s the Name of the Game.’
The people enduring IVF are not abstract ethical dilemmas. They are our choir members, Sunday school teachers, deacons, pastors, neighbors and friends.
Telling Stories, Holding On
Sometimes I worry no one and nothing belongs to any of us anymore—not in a claim-staking way, but in a communal one.
Beyond Pride Month: Year-Round Care for LGBTQ+ Communities in the Church
The doctrine of Imago Dei means we see God’s image in all people, and God’s image is marked in us all.
Empires Crumble From Within
By virtually every measure of quality of life, the United States is far from number one.
‘She Speaks: Black Women Artists and the Power of Historical Memory’ Offers More Than Conversation Pieces
“She Speaks: Black Women Artists and the Power of Historical Memory” is a highly innovative exhibition that explores 250 years of American history through the lens of womanism.
A Time of Lament and Celebration
Given the political and social upheavals of the past year and a half, this moment calls for both lament and celebration.
‘Independence’ Day Wisdom from Frederick Douglass
A faith that follows the radical teachings of Jesus cannot be content with performative monuments to freedom as the descendants of the oppressed are still dehumanized and denied true freedom.
The United States at 250: Reflecting on the Past and Looking to the Future
Anniversaries compel us to ask a crucial question: What kind of country will we become?
Cutting Open the World
The challenge of Christian belief is to open up so that meaning can penetrate every pore of our being.
What, to the Immigrant, is the Fourth of July?
What must they think of our speeches and concerts purporting to celebrate our national virtues of bravery and freedom?