With thousands of Americans showing up in 1,500 cities for “No Kings” protests against President Donald Trump Saturday, I wanted to know what motivated people and what they experienced. So I did what any modern journalist would do: I posted…
Where does Sean Feucht’s money come from?
In recent years, Sean Feucht has been everywhere: Singing in Washington, D.C.; engaging in “worship warfare” at every state Capitol and becoming the guitar-strumming frontman for Christian nationalism. What Franklin Graham and Jack Graham and Robert Jeffress have done for…
Finally, an honest conversation about CCM and Gospel music
One recurring story in recent years has been Christian nationalist worship leaders wielding worship as a weapon for dominating their neighbors rather than as a vehicle for liberating them. The insurrection of January 6 unfolded as New Apostolic Reformation charismatics sang worship…
Why won’t the SBC be more financially transparent?
Amid all the other headlines at this week’s Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, you might have missed an important internal debate that happened about financial transparency. To those outside the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, this may not matter. But for…
Here’s what didn’t happen at this year’s SBC meeting
The most notable thing about this year’s Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting is what didn’t happen. The convention did not advance a third try at the so-called Law Amendment that would enshrine a Constitutional ban on females in any role…
A guide to understanding this week’s conversations about the SBC and sexual abuse
When you hear people talk about sexual abuse claims and the Southern Baptist Convention, it’s not the same as talking about the Roman Catholic Church and sexual abuse. Yes, there are clergy culprits in both religious bodies. And yes, there…
Trump’s war on international students could hurt private schools too
The Trump administration’s war on blocking international students from U.S. higher education could affect not only the Ivy League but even small Christian schools and Southern Baptist Convention seminaries. While Harvard University has drawn the most attention and headlines in…
The conversion of a secular scholar raises hard questions
In a recent column, I explored the unusual friendship between Jonathan Rauch, a gay Jewish atheist, and a circle of evangelical heavyweights like Russell Moore and the late Tim Keller. Rauch, a leading public intellectual, drew sustenance and inspiration from…
Evangelicals and the ‘born again’ myth
For the first time in my life, I got down on my knees without being told to do so. I really wanted to talk to God. ‘Lord, I don’t know what happened to me tonight,’ I prayed. ‘You know. And I thank…
Will the SBC keep Lakepointe after kicking out Saddleback?
Given how often Dallas megachurch pastors have been in the news for abuse scandals or for run-of-the-mill sacralized misogyny over the past year, it’s only fitting that the Southern Baptist Convention would host its 2025 annual meeting in Dallas. When…
Where does a multi-site megachurch find a new pastor?
When Gateway Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex announced its new senior pastor, most attention fell on Daniel Floyd’s role in picking up the pieces of his predecessor’s sexual abuse scandal. But his appointment is significant for another reason: He…
Kevin Smith’s Dogma is back in theaters
One of the most famous religious satires of the past few decades will be back in theaters June 6 as part of a limited release for its 25th anniversary restoration. When Kevin Smith’s Dogma was released in November 1999, it…