Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty in Washington, D.C., is and has been an institution long championed by moderate and progressive Baptists for its defense of religious liberty for all people. Since 1936, Baptists from across geographic and racial lines…
The threat of Christian nationalism in all 50 states, illustrated in eight charts
I’m pleased to share with you insights from the largest survey of Christian nationalism ever conducted, which was released today by PRRI. The survey was fielded among a sample of more than 22,000 Americans throughout 2023. This large sample size…
Navalny died for freedom. Will we live for it?
Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent voice for freedom, is dead at 47 — murdered outright or worn down by the police state that relentlessly arrested him, jailed him, poisoned him, tormented him and finally sent him to the brutal Arctic…
Watermelon seeds and lessons in church growth
Growing up in Texas, summers were hot and unbearable. But there was one soul-refreshing snack my family enjoyed on hot Texas summer days — refrigerated watermelon. It was almost a revival experience we indulged in to beat the heat. Ironically,…
All in the Family set the stage for Rob Reiner to understand Christian nationalism
It was easy for television viewers to forget the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights struggle and women’s liberation when immersed in the gauzy nostalgia of The Andy Griffith Show or The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Then, in 1971, producer…
How ‘Twin Flames Universe’ leader pretends to be Jesus to create an abusive multi-level marketing scheme
“If you really had the fire of Christ in you, you would do everything in your power to share this.” Such language is common in evangelical churches, with the “this” referring to the hope of salvation through Jesus Christ. But…
What is ‘religion’? From football to faith to faithfulness
In my home state, folks make regular pilgrimages to a revered shrine where they engage in rituals, sing songs, pray, engage in charismatic hand lifting, and often speak in mysterious tongues indiscernible to outsiders. Sometimes adherents express the ecstasy of…
Of Elisabeth Elliot, Beth Allison Barr, Kristin Du Mez and Karen Swallow Prior and who gets a seat at the table
It seems no matter what table a Christian chooses to sit at these days, powerful men are determining who gets a seat, when they can talk and what stories they’re allowed to tell. This marginalization of voices on the underside…
Thinking biblically about government in an election year
I begin by saying the obvious: We enter an election year in a time of great political and cultural division in our country. That could have been said every four years since 1968. But today we also can add that…
ERLC’s guide to political engagement will be too nice for conservatives and too mean for progressives
What should Christians do about political engagement? It’s a question Andrew T. Walker takes seriously in his extended pamphlet, “The Nations Belong to God: A Christian Guide to Political Engagement,” published by the Southern Baptist Convention Ethics and Religious Liberty…
What modern Christians might learn from the patron saint of plagues, St. Valentine
This year, thanks to a mischievous convergence of the cultural and liturgical calendars, Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day. It’s not the first time (2018 wasn’t that long ago) nor will it be the last (next up is 2029). Theologically,…
The two men behind the possible schism in the Church of England
At the start of each year in the United Kingdom, the monarch doles out “honors” to citizens who’ve contributed to the betterment of British society. This year, both Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, and his longtime friend, Nicky Gumbel,…