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…
Patriot Mobile’s Leigh Wambsganss and the duplicity of Christian nationalist women
Anyone who has been tracking the rise of Christian nationalism should know of Patriot Mobile and its chief communications officer, Leigh Wambsganss. She, the company she represents and that company’s political action committee each had starring roles in investigative journalist…
Proposed SBC resolutions throw red meat to the base, avoid key issues
When the Southern Baptist Convention meets in annual session each summer, few things make as many headlines as the resolutions adopted in those two-day sessions. This year will be no exception as the voting participants — called “messengers” in SBC…
‘Worship warfare’ event in Seattle was planned to be violent
“TODAY WAS WILD!!! A RIOT BROKE OUT IN SEATTLE!!” Those were the exuberant words of revivalist Ross Johnston celebrating on Instagram in all caps as chaos erupted during a worship protest Saturday in Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park. “NO MORE CUTE…
There’s no ‘white genocide’ in South Africa
President Donald Trump has claimed, without evidence, there is “white genocide” in South Africa. Once more, he has pulled a rotten apple out of his barrel to embellish his own sense of superiority and power. There is no “white genocide”…
How to steal a Baptist church
With his father and brother in the news for taking control of a Houston megachurch, Ed Young of Fellowship Church in Dallas is now hawking a downloadable Church Bylaws Kit for other pastors who desire to become Controlling Executive Officers….