Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting went to Paris to box. Instead, the Olympic fighters unwittingly became punching bags in a fresh round of controversy over transgender athletes in sports. The fact that neither athlete is transgender — or, in fact,…
From the 1960s to today: The transformed symbol of a clenched fist
“Let him begin by treating the Patriotism … as part of his religion. Then, let him, under the influence of partisan spirit, come to regard it as the most important.” (C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters) Edward P.J. Corbett, in…
Impossible Monsters explores earliest battles over geology, paleontology and theology
People living along England’s Dorset coast had long scavenged fossils dislodged from local cliffs. But everything changed in 1811 when young Mary Anning and her brother Joseph found a 4-foot-long skull of an unknown ancient beast. The two youngsters soon…
The Widening of God’s Mercy: A reflection
“There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,” says the old hymn by Frederick William Faber, “like the wideness of the sea.” Millions of Christians have sung this song in their churches since it was written in 1862, basking in the magnitude…
Two assassination attempts 50 years apart and miles apart in responses
Witnesses at the campaign rally said they thought they heard firecrackers. Then the screaming started, and they realized the truth: a young man in his early twenties, a troubled loner, had out maneuvered security and was attempting to assassinate a…
Christians’ promotion of corporal punishment harms bodies, minds and the gospel
“Spanking? Well, you know, the Bible says, ‘Spare the rod, spoil the child.’” Actually, it doesn’t. The harsh teacher Ichabod Crane in Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow spoke this popular misquotation of Proverbs 13:24. Even the website of…
How concerned should we be about conspiracy theorists counting our votes?
Growing up as an independent fundamentalist Baptist, the highlight of each year for our church was the weeklong revival meeting, where we began each night with songs that prepared our hearts for a sermon by a fiery evangelist who then…
Analysis: What to expect from The Widening of God’s Mercy
It’s not every day a Christian leader has courage to change his mind on a theological position that risks reputation and social acceptance. But that is what New Testament scholar Richard Hays has done in a new book, written with…
New reports connect dots between demographic change and ‘strange political ideas’
Do you find yourself wondering why so many strange political ideas that have little public appeal are coming forth? Normally, politicians stay away from unpopular proposals. For what reasons are these ideas surfacing now? Here are examples: Mass deportation of…
Olympics’ ‘Last Supper’ social media uproar mirrors rise of right-wing populism in Europe
Conservative commentators have been in an uproar over what they saw as a “woke” jab at Christianity by Olympics organizers. The outcry has continued, despite art historians and classicists pointing out on social media the offending scene from the opening…
Blinded by their hatred of Biden, Arab voters cut off their noses to spite their faces
Polling data and widespread media coverage indicate the Biden-Harris Administration has a problem: Long a bastion of support and a key voting bloc for the Democratic Party, support among Arab-American voters for the party is the lowest since party identification…
What does freedom mean to you? Black Baptist women and the fight to vote
What does freedom mean to you? On July 26, former president and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump told Christians at The Believers’ Summit, an event hosted by Christian nationalist advocacy group Turning Point USA: “Get out and vote. Just this…