“Christmas at the movies!” the pleasant, feminine voice sings as the smiley-faced popcorn, coffee, candy bar and soda cartoon characters come waltzing into the auditorium before getting interrupted with an explosion, heavy metal music, and a man yelling, “Don’t need…
Three highlights from PRRI’s post-election survey
The color line in the American religious electorate As has been the case for the last four decades, when the political parties began sorting themselves along ethno-religious lines in the wake of the Civil Rights movement, the largest voting divides…
The new battleground for Methodists is in Africa
Hope and jubilation were palpable at the United Methodist General Conference in Spring 2024. Conservative forces that had hammered away at the denomination for more than half a century had decamped, unfortunately taking with them more than 7,600 local congregations,…
Yes, a free and fair press is under assault by Trump and MAGA
The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States can’t stay off the political hot seat. There’s a bill now before the U.S. Senate, known as the PRESS Act — the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act —…
The TheoBros can’t quit Russell Moore
The TheoBros just can’t stop hating on Russell Moore. The current editor of Christianity Today and the former acolyte of Al Mohler, Moore has become a lightning rod for the far-right Calvinists who see him as someone who sold out…
Who will be the next archbishop of Canterbury?
The Christmas Day sermon by the archbishop of Canterbury is the centerpiece of the Church of England’s seasonal celebrations. However, with the resignation of Archbishop Justin Welby, Anglicans will have to make do with a homily from the bishop of…
Notre Dame event models the hospitality needed for national healing
As I walked through the snow toward McKenna Hall at Notre Dame University, I imagined the next 12 hours would include hard truths and valuable insights from professors and pundits about the reelection of Donald Trump and the Republican takeover…
How Christian extremists are co-opting the book of Esther
I first became aware of far-right Christians co-opting the Book of Esther for political ends when I heard the extremist group Moms for Liberty use Esther 4:14 as its slogan. Since then, the phrase “for such a time as this”…
The religious and political legacy of Hal Lindsey: False prophet of the apocalypse
Hal Lindsey moved prophecy belief from the fringe of evangelical Christianity to the center of American culture for almost two decades. The Late Great Planet Earth, a dispensationalist popularization of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the rapture, the Antichrist…
Unsurprisingly, The Gospel Coalition loathes the Wicked movie
One of the most noteworthy theological trends in 21st-century pop Calvinism has been the rehabilitation of the patriarchy. From Josh Howerton to Mark Driscoll to John MacArthur and more, iconic pastors are now routinely given platforms and sympathetic backstories that attempt to complicate categories of good and…
A week later: Myers Park offers lessons for us all
Most all our readers seem to have an opinion about the news story I wrote last week about Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C., abruptly forcing the resignation of their pastor the Sunday before Thanksgiving and one week before…
The Baptist Bonhoeffer
Political party leaders around the globe, including Donald Trump, are openly flirting with fascism to consolidate power by exploiting economic and cultural conflicts. When considering how to respond to these troubling developments, many Christians rightly turn to the example of…