Conservative Catholics in the United States have had a rough week. From the openly gay ABC news anchor Gio Benitez being publicly confirmed in New York, to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops condemning the Trump administration’s immigration policies,…
What Kristi Noem and DHS won’t admit about clergy-led protests
Last Thursday night, I had dinner at the home of Baptist pastor Michael Woolf, his wife, Anna Piela, and their young daughter. We ate lasagna that Woolf had cooked. The next morning, a Reuters photo of Woolf’s arrest at a…
Former Charlotte mayor fears, ‘If you look brown, you’re going down’
The strangest thing about driving around Charlotte, N.C., today was how quiet it was. In hours of patrolling the city with a Baptist pastor and layman Nov. 17, we began to notice the absence of foot traffic in neighborhoods normally…
All are welcome — except those we don’t like
While white evangelicals like to brand their churches to their neighbors as cool and kind, their behavior toward their neighbors often is cruel. I recently came across a perfect example of this through the social media posts of Nate Schlomann,…
The ‘German (American) Christian’ faith movement
Mike Godwin was right. The longer an internet discussion goes on, the higher the likelihood someone will compare their opponent to the Nazis (colloquially known as Godwin’s Law). So, let me cut to the chase: I’m going to talk about…
Tuesday was a night for the ‘nones’
Tuesday night marked an interesting election cycle, even for an off-year election. Three major races dominated the conversation: The New York City mayoral race, the New Jersey gubernatorial race, and the Virginia gubernatorial race. What made these races interesting is…
Sex, porn, bikinis, health care, hunger and Great Gatsby depravity
Those of us who grew up in white evangelical schools and churches are used to being coerced into submission under the threat of exile. In what we experienced as a theocracy, these institutions held total control over our lives, including…
Christian Zionism strikes back
The battle lines have been drawn, and they are theological. On one side is the Nick Fuentes-Tucker Carlson wing of ethno-nationalism, which espouses a form of Catholic integralism or “blood-and-soil” traditionalism. On the other side is the most powerful grassroots…
Are women leading or leaving the church?
Having spent some time earlier this year meeting potential romantic partners through the popular Christian dating app Upward, I’ve been consistently confused by the state of Christianity among my generation. The Millennial and Zoomer profiles around my age, which I…
The devil already is in the details of ‘Trump Plan’ for Gaza
The prisoner exchanges and the announcement of the “Trump Plan” for Gaza, brokered by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio were met with a sigh of relief for many Palestinians. Yet, as the dust settles, it’s clear this plan has…
A massive catechesis failure
A few days ago, I was listening to an audiobook while I drove my 5-year-old grandson, Micah, home from kindergarten. The narrator was talking about A. Philip Randolf, Bayard Rustin and the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom…
Understanding the complex violence in Nigeria and Trump’s threat
The tragic national security situation in Nigeria has been thrust into the international spotlight anew with a threat from U.S. President Donald Trump. On Oct. 31, Trump designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” for “systematic violations of religious…