America is a nation being held hostage by fundamentalism. In our recent BNG webinar with Robert P. Jones and Greg Garrett and Timothy Peoples, the single thing that stuck with me most is a comment by Jones, who is among…
89-year-old Swindoll isn’t retiring but has named a successor
At age 89, Chuck Swindoll isn’t retiring, but his church is calling a new senior pastor — who will preach some of the time. Swindoll was one of the first big names in the modern era of radio preachers and…
First Baptist Abilene pastor resigns after DUI
The pastor of one of the most prominent Baptist churches in West Texas resigned April 7, two weeks after being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Brandon Hudson, 44, was arrested on U.S. Hwy. 84 near Snyder, Texas,…
America’s changing culture means there’s not much of a rush to the cafeteria for Sunday lunch
The old joke about the Baptists trying to beat the Methodists to the cafeteria for Sunday lunch seems stale these days. You might more easily find a remaining cafeteria in some towns than a plurality of people who actually attend…
Appeals court today hears case of employee who was fired for objecting to use of rainbow during Pride Month
A federal appeals court will hear a case today that epitomizes the worst fears of evangelical Christians about diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the workplace. Snyder v. Arconic involves the claim of Daniel Snyder of Davenport, Iowa, against his…
Trump announces abortion policy, but neither side believes he’ll do what he says
When Donald Trump announced his presidential campaign’s abortion policy April 8, advocates on both sides of the issue didn’t believe him. Of course, stretching the truth is nothing new for the presumptive once-again Republican nominee. Trump got elected president in…
Portents in the heavens and signs of the times: An eclipse, Harry Potter and a scholar changing his mind all in the same week
As if it were not enough to have Anne Graham Lotz and Marjorie Taylor Greene warning of God’s judgment on America through a solar eclipse, some in the Religious Right lost their minds over the weekend in two other social…
Indiana court cites religious freedom as reason to override abortion ban
Religion won on the opposite side of an abortion case than usual April 4, part of a trend of those who favor access to abortion declaring they have a religious right to the procedure. That counters the more common narrative…
McRaney hearing explores whether there are any times courts may decide ‘religious’ matters
Imagine a Jewish family taking their eight-day-old boy to a mohel for circumcision and discovering the Jewish official is drunk and maims the child’s genitals. Would the family be able to sue the mohel and others involved in facilitating the…