Recent Articles
The Era of Wannabe Kings Begins
Democracies around the world are starting to worry about American aggression toward their countries. America is becoming a threat to democracy, no longer its most avid defender.
Notes on Neurodivergence | Changing My Values
When I was eighteen, I went to college. It was terrifying to be in a new place with new people, attempting to function without adult help. At my university, there was no effective counseling support for what I needed. It was assumed I could medicate the problem away. But the real issue was my emotional wounds. Drugs only treated the symptoms.
Theology of Beauty: An Interview With Malkhaz Songulashvili, Georgia’s “Dissident” Baptist Bishop
“There was no single day since the establishment of the Baptist Church in Georgia on August 20, 1867, when we have not been persecuted in one way or another. For over 150 years, we had to learn how to survive, and the theology of beauty has been our means of survival.”
Uniform’s “American Standard” Embraces Pain With a Psalmist’s Touch
In 2024, the industrial metal band Uniform released my favorite album of the year. “American Standard is one of the most punishing, brutal and sad records I have ever listened to, but it is also one of the most beautiful. I cannot stop wrestling with it.
Celebrating Black History is An Act of Resistance
For those whose slavery-obscured ancestral lineage already makes us feel like orphans, exhuming Black history reopens unhealed wounds. When coupled with reliably disingenuous critiques like, “Why don’t we have a white history month?”, February starts to feel like the longest month of the year.
The Immigrant Life: Sojourners On Our Way Home
As the soil beneath my feet shifts with political uncertainty, I feel a moral responsibility to stand in solidarity with those whose existence is threatened.
A Minister Goes to the Theater | Our Towns, Our Churches
During the third act, I tried to figure out why I was crying. Was it my own ignorance and blindness? Was it nostalgia for a simpler time? Was it a longing for community? Was it the loss of people I love? Was it my sense of mortality?
The Radical Mundane: Staying Sane Amid the Inhumane
In an age when the inhumane becomes normalized, we need these reminders of what humanity is supposed to look like. Without these small, mundane things, I fear we will miss seeing the Imago Dei in one another.
Barna Report Finds Most Teens Are Open to Conversations About God
Barna’s “The Open Generation: United States” report finds most teens are open to having conversations about God. Whether professed Christians or not, the young people polled expressed a desire to talk about the life of Jesus over Barna’s “The Open Generation: United States” report finds most teens are open to having conversations about God. Whether professed Christians or not, the young people polled expressed a desire to talk about the life of Jesus over the course of their lives.
the course of their lives.
What’s Going On At Wheaton?
The problem with evangelical higher education is not, as it so frequently tells itself, that it takes up a “courageous middle.” The problem is that predominantly white evangelical higher education exists to leverage a virulent form of cultural dominance into a (pseudo) academic business model.
African American History Month| Some Sufferings We Must Refuse to Bear
Racism is not “my cross to bear.” In fact, it’s not even a cross or a test of endurance. Systematic prejudice is social oppression and should not be met with strength and determination.
Five Years Later, Pew Research Analyzes Current U.S. Opinion on the COVID-19 Pandemic
Despite a few weeks of national unity at the beginning of the pandemic, almost three-quarters (72%) of Americans believe the pandemic did more to drive the country apart. Slightly more than a tenth (11%) said it brought the country together, with 16% saying it had little effect either way.
Managing Facebook Fights: A Strategy To Manage Political Anxiety
Jesus, the ultimate scapegoat, is innocent. Yet he is still crucified by a mob seeking to rid itself of fear and guilt. The resurrection reveals the truth: the scapegoat is not the source of our problems. The real issue lies within us—our rivalries, desires and unwillingness to take responsibility for the conditions we create.
God Ain’t Scared of Your Questions: Keeping Black Youth at the Forefront of Theology
The Black church has always been a sanctuary of survival and resistance, yet it is at risk of losing its most critical demographic—Black youth and young adults. Not because they lack faith but because they ask questions the church often refuses to answer. This is not...
Autumn Lockwood: Making History During Black History Month
The NFL’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program created opportunities for marginalized individuals. Historically, white men have led NFL teams, with an occasional African American rising to the level of a coaching or front-office position. Since the league takes DEI seriously, more opportunities have emerged for people of color and women.
Pandora’s Box Also Contains Hope
In Greek mythology, Pandora’s Box is filled with evil. Zeus gave it to Pandora, the first woman on Earth, and told her not to open it. Pandora opened the box and released evil into the world. Side note: Why do you suppose women are always blamed for creating messes–Eve, Pandora, Hillary Clinton?
A Reflection on Peter Beinart’s ’Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza’
Beinart is clear…that the historical reality of antisemitism shouldn’t shield Israel and Zionism from critique. He writes, “It’s crucial to distinguish condemnations of Israel and Zionism that deploy antisemitic concepts from the condemnation of Israel and Zionism itself, which is no more bigoted than opposing any other state or political ideology.”
Jason Kirk’s “Hell Is A World Without You” Proclaims “Hope Is Our Only Hope”
One of the book’s primary themes is working through dissonance toward something beautiful. Although the book is dark and terribly sad at times, the overarching narrative is one of moving from darkness to light.
En El Nombre y El Espíritu de Jesús Christo/In The Name And Spirit of Jesus Christ
A nuestros vecinos inmigrantes, en el nombre y el espíritu de Jesús, “Lo siento.”/To our immigrant neighbors, in the name and spirit of Jesus Christ, “I am sorry.”
Confessions of a Christian Zionist
I thought I was becoming a born-again Christian. In reality, this minoritized Latino was becoming an ally to those who politically wanted me segregated, those who today comprise the backbone of white Christian nationalism. I was becoming complicit with the colonialization of my own mind.
New Study Finds Evangelical Adults Want Both/And Approach to Immigration
Self-identified evangelical adults are taking a both/and approach when it comes to immigration. Respondents of a new Lifeway Research study say they want both secure borders and pathways for “certain” immigrants to be given legal status to live and work in the United States.
Film Review | “Nosferatu” Offers a Helpful Reorientation to Evil
Theologically conservative views on personal piety and the human need for reassurance often shape a vision of evil that feels distant—more like a monster legend than a real threat…In different ways, more progressive theologies…often feel inadequate to the task at hand.
By the Way | But Is It ‘Biblical’?
Is it “biblical” for men to wear their hair long? (This was the 1960s, after all.) Or, is it “biblical” to listen to rock music or imbibe alcohol or enlist in the military? Is capital punishment “biblical”? We were consumed by questions like these, especially during late-night conversations in the dormitories of evangelical colleges.
Pew Study Finds Rate of Religious Nationalists in U.S. Relatively Low
Among countries where Christianity is the prominent religion, Kenya, at 32%, is the only country with more than a quarter of its residents who are considered “Christian nationalists” under Pew’s definition. At 6%, the U.S. is tied with Chile for 12th.
Healing the Trauma Inflicted by “Colorblindness”
Diversity is what makes communities vibrant and dynamic. It is the foundation of the kin-dom of God that Jesus preached—a world where all are valued, where equity and inclusion are not just ideals but lived realities.
African American History Month | Who Are You, Really?
Not bracketed by American chattel slavery and this present moment, who we are, as African Americans, is not just historical but spiritual. In fact, like our ancestors, spirituality—not religion, which is cordoned off and reserved for practice on Sundays—informs all of life. Thus, what most African Americans believe is not separate and apart from other aspects of their existence.
Resisting Trump’s Agenda by Tending to Your ”Soul Nerve”
Finding focus helps. In our individual calls to connect our voices, skillsets, and passions with the world’s greatest needs, clarity will move us forward in bending the arc of history toward justice. But individually, we cannot fight every battle. There are far too many to choose from. The key is choosing which battles are yours.
Notes on Neurodivergence | Moving Toward a Calm Gentleness
Growing is challenging and probably one of the most difficult things I have done. Sometimes it’s miserable, sometimes fantastic. Still, I believe anyone can grow. But growth isn’t a tree sprouting upwards. It’s getting deep in the mud, pulling up the roots one-by-one. I rarely appreciate it in the moment.
Being the Church In the Midst of Chaos and Confusion
We all were once strangers to the love, truth and promises of God. However, by grace, we have been brought near to the Father. Therefore, we should embrace a posture of humility as we walk with God, loving the things God loves and resisting evil in the world.
Colonialism is Back: The Reemergence of Manifest Destiny
The world no longer has to accept the whims of madmen. The world can reject the new colonialism. The true power for a better world lies within the people, a power more significant than any political bullies exerting their evil upon the rest of us.