Climate change presents the greatest existential threat to human existence in history. The alleged worldwide flood of Noah pales in comparison. A group of politicians and preachers who should know better, and perhaps do, have responded as if they were…
In applauding Victor Orban, U.S. conservatives call their shot
Conservatives in the United States have called their shot. According to baseball lore, Babe Ruth, in game three of the 1932 World Series at Wrigley Field, pointed his bat at center field. He then hit a homerun in that spot….
Why aren’t we defending Brittney Griner?
Brittney Griner is a professional basketball player. Her story reads like the all-American girl she is, but now she is in a Russian prison, and her critics are saying she is “unpatriotic,” “un-American,” and not worthy of our mercy and…
What evangelicals won’t tell you about the actual sin of Sodom
Now that the Supreme Court has outlawed abortion, some politicians can’t wait to start the campaign to take away other rights, especially gay rights. The ruling on abortion was not yet dry on the page before Justice Clarence Thomas voiced…
The fantastical world of the New (evangelical) Zealots
Evangelicals are the New Zealots, and that spells danger for democracy and for the planet. The danger lies in the fantastical world created by evangelicals. The danger becomes personal in the symbol of guns and precarious in their climate denial….
Don’t take preaching lessons from Christian nationalist Gen. Flynn
I’m attempting to wrap my mind around the idea of a former Army general telling me I should preach from the U.S. Constitution. I mention this only because Michael Flynn has been occupying American pulpits, recommending the Constitution as a…
Where’s our Good Samaritan today?
Nothing says Christianity like the story of the Good Samaritan. This story captures who we are, what we are to do and how we are to treat all others. Some people say Jesus is the Good Samaritan and we are…
A warning to the January 6 Committee: Donald Trump is inside that Trojan horse
Television could become the January 6 Committee’s Trojan horse. Hidden inside the Trojan horse of television is the persona of Donald Trump. Rhetorical scholar Paul Achter says, “Trump is a central character in everyday news discourse in an era in…
Franklin Graham says he’s not a preacher of hate, so let’s roll the tape and see
I have a couple of questions for Franklin Graham. For years I have granted him a sort of “don’t criticize” card because of my respect for his father, Billy Graham. But as Franklin has become more and more political and…
The three arguments used to block sensible gun control and why they’re flawed
The most we manage to produce in the wake of another school shooting is a spate of arguments back and forth. Never any action. The satirical website The Onion is infamous for this headline, posted after almost every mass shooting:…
Why American democracy is threatened in Ukraine
American democracy is endangered in the most unlikely of places: Ukraine. Events swirling around the Russian invasion of Ukraine have implications for our own freedom. I have no interest in conjuring the apocalyptic visions of rapture believers, but I do…
Government by quips, tweets and slogans
Once upon a time, a politician with a quick wit conveyed confidence, intelligence and a sense of humor. Americans loved politicians who could think quickly on their feet under pressure. Now, we get packaged, pre-written statements read from a teleprompter….