Note: For more discussion on the upcoming SBC annual meeting, check out the latest episode of BNG’s podcast “Stuck in the Middle with You.” In less than three weeks, messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting will descend…
Texas Gov. Abbott is spreading a conspiracy theory that attacks Muslims
North Texas is a religiously diverse place. Not only are there numerous Protestant megachurches, there also are Mainline Protestants, Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus and more. Many, like myself, consider the religious diversity one of the draws of the area….
Conservatives’ hatred for PBS and NPR is nothing new
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to stop federal funding for PBS and NPR. The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease federal funding for NPR and PBS.” Republican and evangelical opposition…
All the people the recently proposed Obscenity Act does not protect
Sen. Mike Lee of Utah has proposed the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act. The bill would change the legal definition of obscenity across all 50 states, redefining the term with more vague language than before. It aims to do this by…
Woman preaches at Lakepointe ‘under the fathers of this house’
In a scene reminiscent of a Serena Waterford speech from Margaret Atwood’s dystopian depiction of totalitarian patriarchy in The Handmaid’s Tale, Dallas megachurch pastor Josh Howerton and his fellow elders allowed a woman to preach on Mother’s Day. If you’re…
‘Our new pope has aura’: Why are Americans enamored with Pope Leo?
The recent election of Pope Leo XIV, born as Robert Prevost, has roused the attention of many around the world, including those who don’t identify as religious. “Our new pope has aura” read one comment on a Tik Tok video…
A decade later, God and the Gay Christian gets an update and remains essential reading
One of the most essential books on Christianity and LGBTQ inclusion has received an update and now appears in an expanded and revised edition. God and the Gay Christian, written by Matthew Vines, is now 10 years old. When it…
The Ten Commandments and the tyranny of minority rule
George Orwell, in his classic novel 1984, highlights an important aspect of full-blown authoritarianism: the presentation of lies as truth. In the first few pages of Orwell’s book, readers are introduced to the ironically named “Ministry of Truth” which features…
Who’s suspicious of the new pope? MAGA
And lo, it came to pass that non-Catholic Americans with little or no theological training have absurd opinions about Pope Leo XIV. Yea, verily, these are the times in which we live. In the beginning, U.S. President Donald Trump offered a…
Trump fires first Black and first female Librarian of Congress
If it feels like a pattern, that’s because it is. In an abrupt and controversial move, President Donald Trump fired Carla Hayden, the first African American and first woman to serve as Librarian of Congress, just months before her 10-year…
Pope Leo XIV confirmed to have African American ancestry
In a development reshaping global conversations around race, religion and representation, newly elected Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago in 1955, has been confirmed to have African American ancestry through his maternal Louisiana Creole roots. This groundbreaking…
PRRI: Most Americans believe Trump is dangerous dictator
A new PRRI poll evaluating public opinion of President Donald Trump over the first 100 days of his term provides clear evidence that most Americans want to rein in his overreach, stop his undermining of democratic norms and protect our…