Another Black woman has been called “Jezebel,” a racial stereotype and slur that historically and persistently has been used to obfuscate the truth, promote and justify racial inequality and sexual violence against Black women. According to Baptist News Global, two…
At Trump’s impeachment trial, pay attention to the inciting power of rhetoric
On Feb. 9, the historic second impeachment trial of Donald Trump will commence in the United States Senate, where a common theme running through the impeachment articles centers on the inciting power of speech used by the former president. The…
White Christian nationalists and Black Americans find common ground in vaccine wariness while some pastors try to set a positive example
Two communities seemingly at odds with each other are among the groups of Americans most likely to be skeptical of the new COVID-19 vaccines: Christian nationalists and Black Americans. The reasons why each group is skeptical are different, but the…
What’s old is new again: Conservatives threaten funding over SBC’s ethics agency
From the Department of What’s Old is New Again: The Southern Baptist Convention’s ethics agency is being accused of liberalism and creating a distraction from the work of evangelism and missions. During the fundamentalist takeover of the SBC that began…
Ten years after, could the Arab Spring bloom again?
If you think you’ve got it bad in this season of darkness, disease and division, take a moment to consider the agony of the people of the Middle East. A decade ago, the new year of 2011 brought soaring hopes…
Stage set for removing Confederate names from military posts
After Congressional votes to override former President Donald Trump’s veto of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, the stage is set for renaming up to 10 military bases and a variety of military assets named after Confederate war heroes. Among…
The death penalty is dying a slow death; it’s time we pull the plug
The death penalty is dying in America. I cheer its death. Capital punishment has been abolished in 22 states. Ten of the remaining 28 states have not had an execution in a decade. According to the Death Penalty Information Center,…
What does Pelagius have to do with Josh Hawley and white nationalism?
An old idiom, usually attributed to Oscar Wilde, says that irony is wasted on stupid people. But not everyone who fails to appreciate irony is a mindless dolt. Some of them are quite clever, aiming their malformed wit in the…
The ongoing epidemic of pornography in the church
My first experience with porn was vacuuming cars in my dad’s service station. I was about 10 at the time, and I found magazines under some of the customer’s company cars which had naked women on almost every page. My…