Recent Articles
No Name Calling Unless You Are Disciples in Name Only
“Once a word leaves your mouth, it leaves your control” is an African dictum. So be careful what you say because your words can go a long way.
An Invitation to Dinner: Family, It’s Time to Talk
“One of the things the Western church does not train people to do is tell the truth.”
A Matter of Life and Death: The Demise of Rural Hospitals
Rural hospitals face these challenges because the country’s rural population is shrinking, ultimately generating less revenue to keep rural hospitals afloat.
Rejecting the Bible as Ransom Note
One question I hear often is, “How do you reconcile the contradictions within the Bible?” My answer is often surprising: I don’t.
X-Men ‘97 and The Paradox of Tolerance
You don’t have to agree with someone—their beliefs, lifestyle, or anything else—to protect them against political violence.
“Let’s Get Back II Eden”
God created humans and charged us to be life-giving, not death-dealing.
March 15, 2024
Nex Benedict, Oklahoma Nonbinary Teen, Died by Suicide, Medical Examiner Rules; A Small City in Oklahoma Elected a White Nationalist. Will it Be Able to Vote Him Out?; Church Pews are Sitting Empty. Can They Become Affordable Housing?; Movie Review: ‘Dune 2’ Portrays the Danger of Mixing Religion and Politics. It Doesn’t Know the Half of it. (and more)
The American Judas Experiment
While I will hold the possibility that many have convictions about abortion and sexuality, the strategies and tactics they implement to advance their cause appear to preference chaos and division over conversation and commonality.
The Gospel According to James Baldwin: An Interview With Greg Garrett, Part 4
My interview with Greg Garrett, author of “The Gospel According to James Baldwin” concludes with a discussion of the future of James Baldwin’s work in colleges and universities and gleanings from a would-be syllabus, the reasons why Baldwin remains “America’s great prophet” and with race no longer a part of the conversation, what he would talk to Baldwin about when they met in the New Jerusalem.
Roots of Resilience: A Vision for Food Justice
Claiborne Towner’s journey from bondage to landowner in post-Civil War Mississippi encapsulates a saga of courage and resilience in the face of systemic exploitation.
March 14, 2024
Who is Leaving the LDS Church? 8 Key Survey Findings; Bible Quotes Didn’t Help Columbia Anti-Abortion Protester. Federal Judge Found Him Guilty. (The State)
Sex Abuse Survivors Dispute Southern Baptist Leadership and Say Federal Investigation is Ongoing (and more)
Losing Sleep Over It: The Temptation of Team Loyalty
The emotional bond between a fan and their school is a distinctly American phenomenon. Many of us order our entire lives around it.
The Gospel According to James Baldwin: An Interview With Greg Garrett, Part 3
In part three of my interview with Greg Garrett, author of “The Gospel According to James Baldwin,” we talk about the idea of “white sanity” and the cost of maintaining it. We also discuss Baldwin’s grace and radical hope, the 2024 election, “the welcome table” and the New Jerusalem built upon truth-telling.
History Will Damn Joe Biden
The starving, unhoused, cold, sickened, terrified and defenseless people of Gaza are surrogates for God.
March 13, 2024
Florida Teachers Can Discuss Sexual Orientation and Gender ID Under ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Settlement; In States With Laws Targeting LGBTQ Issues, School Hate Crimes Quadrupled; Hidden Jewel for Sale Along Florida Coast Was Once a Baptist Church. Take a Look. (and more)
The Problem Isn’t Their Age, It’s Their White-Savior Complex
The problem is not that Biden or Trump are too old, but a political system that privileges incumbency rather than making room for others to have a viable chance of getting elected.
The Gospel According to James Baldwin: An Interview With Greg Garrett, Part Two
My interview with Greg Garrett, author of “The Gospel According to James Baldwin” and a professor of English at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, continues. Now we delve into the diagnostic abilities and medicinal benefits of art, “the soul cost of white supremacy” and the future of the “white church.”
A New Lifeway Research Study Finds American Evangelicals Want Both Immigration Reform and More Border Security
Most American evangelicals want both immigration reform and more border security, according to a new Lifeway Research study sponsored by the Evangelical Immigration Table.
March 12, 2024
Iraq Hopes to Lure Christian Pilgrims with New Church in Ancient Ur; A Pro-LGBTQ Movement in the United Methodist Church Eyes Future After Conservative Exodus; Flint Church Plan to Take on Hygiene Poverty With Low-Cost Service Laundromat (Michigan Live)
Only in Oklahoma: Dispute Rages Over Church’s Designer (and more)
The Gospel According to James Baldwin: An Interview With Greg Garrett, Part 1
I recently had the pleasure of asking Greg a few questions. We began with the pilgrimage of writing, James Baldwin as a contrasting conversation partner and the social fiction of white supremacy.
Cultivating a Spirit of Hope
We can embrace the hope of heaven and still care deeply about present injustices. God’s vision for creation will be realized in the end. We are not alone.
My Bias Toward Israel Has Been Wounded
My bias toward Israel has been wounded, and my complicity in the horrors of this particular war is confronting me.
Complications for Pregnant Veterans Doubles
This increase should enrage women’s rights groups and the pro-life lobby as the vast majority of these deaths are preventable through good prenatal and postpartum care.
Safe Places
In the church, we talk about embracing everyone and creating “safe places.” Do we mean it? Do we want it to happen?
Lenten Excavation: An Invitation
Forgive me if I sound like all is muscle and brawn. It is not. Spiritual formation will also involve being still when your every urge is to be busy– savoring life, not just saving it.
Presidential Age Versus the Founding Fathers: The Need for a New Generation of Leadership
Both candidates are on their way to winning their party’s nomination for president of the United States. Still, questions swirl around their physical and cognitive ability to fulfill the office’s duties.
Strengthening the Economy Tops the List for Americans Ahead of the State of the Union Address
President Joe Biden will deliver his third State of the Union address on March 7. Americans’ number one priority is strengthening the economy, according to a recent Pew Research Center report.
Exploring Womanism in a Global Context: A Tapestry of Possibilities and Challenges
As an emerging theologian, I grappled deeply with whether the womanist designation placed on me served to appease those who deem centering the experiences of Black women as invalid.
March 7, 2024
‘Extraordinary’: Islamic and Jewish Science Emerge in 11th -Century Astrolabe; Scientists Unearth Ancient Roman Imperial Cult Temple; Peter Wehner: When Did Evangelicals Go Wrong? (and more)
Begging For a Bed: The U.S. Mental Health System
I was never explicitly taught this, but somehow, I absorbed the belief that we all have control over our choices and what goes on in our brains. It was a sign of emotional and spiritual weakness if we lost that control.