By Benjamin Cole One of the unfortunate realities about being Baptist is that you seldom understand or observe the Christian festival calendar. In fact, many who are reading this column will not know what a “festival calendar” is. For most…
What marriage is — and what it isn’t
By Benjamin Cole In late February, David Blankenhorn and Jonathan Rauch co-authored a provocative op-ed in the New York Times, titled “A Reconciliation on Gay Marriage.” In the piece, Blankenhorn, the conservative president of the Institute for American Values, and…
Whither — or wither — conservatism?
By Benjamin Cole Last month, I joined more than 8,000 other conservatives from across the country for the annual gathering of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington. Throughout its three-day program, disempowered and occasionally distraught conservatives plotted endlessly…
Of God and guns
By Benjamin Cole Count me among those Baptists who are about as likely to carry a leather-bound King James Bible as we are to carry a stainless-steel Colt Python .357. Etched with almost equal prominence in my memories of childhood…
Confessions, appointees and tax codes
By Benjamin Cole In her recent book, The Art of the Public Grovel, Susan Wise Bauer traces the influence of 19th-century evangelical confession upon modern political speech. From Bill Clinton’s infamous intern scandal to the recent descent of superstar pastor…
Baptists, bigotry, and Barack Obama
By Benjamin Cole The election of 2008 was historic, and now it is history. A tough-fought campaign has ended with a number of firsts for the country, the most notable of which is the highest number of votes — and the…
On morality and our faltering economy
By Benjamin Cole America faced an unprecedented challenge requiring military intervention halfway around the globe. Russia was recalcitrant in the face of international diplomatic pressure, and rogue South American dictators scoffed at democratic reforms. Africa suffered the stresses of modernization….
The Trinity and other concrete things
By Beth Newman Being a teacher of theology has given me a rather distorted sense of priorities. I suppose that whatever one’s line of work is, though, it will cause some such skewing. My husband once worked in a shop…
Of teenage pregnancies and New Orleans levees
By Benjamin Cole Before a convention of thousands and a television audience of millions Sept. 3, GOP vice-presidential hopeful Sarah Palin was given a historic election debut that had most pundits awarding high marks for her performance. Joining the Alaska…