How should we respond when someone who uses theology to promote ignorant, misogynistic, racist, power mongering authoritarianism dies? To use biblical language, we might call these people false prophets, ravenous wolves, deceivers, anti-Christs, evil men, seducers, lovers of self, foolish…
The Trump administration is using the arts to rewrite history
I’ve written elsewhere about the role the arts have played in both creating and confronting shared identity and ethics across time. Art is a powerful medium. It has the potential to both reflect and to shape collective memory — which…
Baylor rejects grant to study LGBTQ exclusion in the church
The president of Baylor University appears to have burned a final bridge with a Texas-based foundation that once was a critical funder of its Baptist identity. President Linda Livingstone has rescinded a $643,000 grant awarded to the Diana Garland School…
A critical assessment of the president’s ‘big beautiful bill’
Just days before President Donal Trump left office at the conclusion of his first term in office, a “1776 Commission” he created in 2020 issued its report, calling for “patriotic education” designed to counter what he claimed was a “twisted…
Bill Moyers: Fearless speaker of truth
When I saw the news of Bill Moyers dying, I felt all the oxygen left my office. Never has one person spoken more truth to power than Moyers. The tributes to him are prodigious and well-deserving. I add here some…
Prestonwood celebrates Trump and Supreme Court in morning worship
“This is a time for us to celebrate America,” Prestonwood Baptist Church Pastor Jack Graham declared in his all-white suit in a scene reminiscent of a Jesse Gemstone sermon in HBO Max’s The Righteous Gemstones. “Just because you love America…
Mike Lee is the velociraptor of Jurassic Park social media
After the murders of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted on his X account: “This is what happens when Marxists don’t get their way,” and “Nightmare on Waltz Street?” How did he…
On Christian activists and the demonization of political discourse
The Apostle Paul told the Ephesian believers to “put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Today, some Christian leaders exploit Paul’s words for partisan political purposes, equating the eternal battle…
The bench vs. the branch: The unprecedented lawsuit targeting federal judges
In a historic and extraordinary legal maneuver, the Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against all 15 sitting federal judges in the state of Maryland. The lawsuit, initiated by the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday, directly challenges a standing…
From Persia to provocation: A Christian nation’s look at the real Iran
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” — Hosea 4:6 Before it ever was called Iran, this storied nation was known to the world as Persia, an identity stretching back more than 3,000 years. The name “Iran” is derived…
Our increasingly gendered politics
To say gender has become far more performative in today’s politics is hardly an understatement. While last year’s presidential election saw the Trump campaign double down on masculine tropes, his administration in 2025 is seeking public policies that reinforce gender…
Evangelicals are mean to kids, beginning at home
Every Father’s Day weekend, complementarian women post on social media about how thankful they are for their husbands’ loving leadership. Photos of confidently smiling men who think the gospel requires them to be the heads of their households grace our…