The Hamas problem This is a terrorist organization. The tragedy of Oct. 7 with 1,200 murders of mostly women, children and innocent Israeli civilians, the atrocities committed, the ongoing terror of the remaining hostages along with continued rocket attacks make…
Ronald Reagan, the Strict Father and American conservatism
My reading life has provided me with a web of networks with authors I never have met except on the pages of their books. Lacking any other acceptable descriptor, I refer to these writers as “my friends.” My “friend” George…
In dialogue with Doug Wilson and the ‘pop Calvinists,’ at least Wilson is consistent
Twenty-three years after John Piper called Doug Wilson an “absolute genius at sarcasm and irony,” pop Calvinists are still wringing their hands over how to respond to the conservative Reformed pastor from Moscow, Idaho. “You’re very clever, really clever. And…
What you’re really giving to when you respond to a ‘Bible shortage’ in prisons
’Tis the season for giving — and making year-end contributions to charity. No doubt your mailbox and inbox are inundated with requests for donations this time of year. One such appeal from Prison Fellowship Ministries alerts recipients that Bibles are…
How you connect apocalypse to Advent affects how you interact with the news
Few activities fuel a connection with Advent like reading the news. Stories about weather catastrophes, wars and rumors of wars have many Christians across the theological and political spectrum wondering if the apocalypse is near and perhaps finding themselves praying…
How Let Us Prey highlights the struggles of former IFB who leave the church
Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals has been one of the prominent topics in my circles. As a survivor of the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement, the religious group the documentary focuses on, I was very happy to see these…
Here’s why Americans are so obsessed with getting ‘tough on crime’
Americans have consistently lacked confidence in the United States criminal justice system and, once again, a majority views it as not tough enough. A national debate, ongoing for at least a century, attempts to solve the problem of crime. Ironically, we…
SBC Executive Committee files amicus brief supporting NAMB against Will McRaney
The Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention has weighed in with a legal brief defending the SBC North American Mission Board in a defamation lawsuit brought against NAMB by Will McRaney, former leader of the Baptist Convention of Maryland…
A call for immoderate mediators: David Gushee defends democracy from its Christian enemies
Like just about everybody these days, David Gushee is worried about the survival of democracy. His latest book, Defending Democracy from its Christian Enemies, addresses the problem of democratic “backsliding” or “deconsolidation.” As his title suggests, he calls out Christians…
The horror of Let Us Prey may not be as far from home as you think
“Every IFB church is a powder keg ready to explode,” says Eric Skwarczynski on Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals, which released last weekend on HBO Max and Investigation Discovery. The four-part docuseries follows the stories of sexual abuse survivors…
How churches can participate in the Indigenous Land Back movement and why they should
In 1777, Cherokee statesman Kaiyahtehee, also known as “Old Tassel,” arrived at Fort Henry near the Long Island in the Holston River to negotiate a treaty with commissioners from the state of North Carolina. The treaty would give America land…
On the SBC, Alliance and CBF and lost causes
The histories we tell ourselves about our churches and denominations are important. They shape organizational identities and give greater meaning to the work churches and denominations conduct in the wider world. When those histories become deeply engrained, they can morph…