A conservative friend on social media recently admitted that some of the storylines around Donald Trump’s second term have been extreme but concluded this is simply the way the pendulum swings. In one sense, what he said was true. Since…
When Trump canceled US aid, these evangelicals rejoiced
When President Donald Trump canceled U.S. grants distributed through church charitable organizations, Phil Vischer posted on X: “The Trump admin sent notices on Wednesday to the Christian orgs that work to help refugees resettle in the US — informing them…
7 lies Trump is telling about Ukraine
In an unparalleled abandonment of decades of American foreign policy, President Donald Trump has sided with Russian President Vladimir Putin against Ukraine. Trump says, “Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into…
Are we a democracy or a republic? Why words matter
“The United States is not a democracy! It’s a republic!” my independent Baptist high school government teacher declared over the sound of gunfire and cannons exploding in the Civil War re-enactment across the street. Almost three decades later, the debate…
Social Principles are basis of UMC opposition to Trump policies
Note: This is the first in a five-part series on the updated Social Principles of The United Methodist Church. Still reeling like many Americans from the “shock and awe” of the first few weeks of the new federal administration,…
Money, Lies, and God profiles America’s anti-democratic movement
Americans who are confused or upset about Trump 2.0 will find a helpful guide in Katherine Stewart’s latest book, Money, Lies, and God, which examines the far-right billionaires, evangelical activists and think tanks behind MAGA’s assaults on our laws, traditions…
Why the growth of interracial marriage offers hope for America
According to the latest Gallup Poll, 94% of Americans now approve of interracial marriage. The change since 1967, when Loving v. Virginia made interracial marriage legal, is nothing short of spectacular. American support for abortion access, according to Pew Research,…
Is the Republican Party too secular?
One of the most potent and frustrating images of President Donald Trump’s previous time in office was his infamous photo op at St. John’s Episcopal Church in June 2020, wherein the president cleared protesters out of the public space so…
That time Freddie Haynes preached like Jeremiah Wright
Sometimes writing a news story is not sufficient to convey the importance of an event. This is one of those times. The emotion of what I witnessed in Little Rock, Ark., today cannot be conveyed in a cut-and-dried news story….
The return of public racism
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., for no discernible reason has claimed the maternal death rate in Louisiana isn’t as bad if you don’t count Black women. According to Cassidy, a medical doctor, the state’s high maternal death rates are more standard…
SBC Executive Committee can’t cover expenses, seeks extra $3 million
This story was updated Feb. 19 to include a clarification on staff compensation at the SBC Executive Committee. The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee cannot meet its financial obligations this year and needs $3 million in “priority funding” from…
Feeling overwhelmed? Think local, Tyler advises
It can be overwhelming to consider that there won’t be a presidential election for nearly four years, or even the possibility of winning either the House or Senate away from the control of Christian nationalists for another two years. One…