One of the most under-the-radar battles going on within American evangelicalism today is a civil war between Christian higher education and the local church. If you’ve missed this new trend, there’s a good reason: The more overt stories of abuse…
How King’s ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ parallels the Tennessee Three
It was Holy Week and two young Black men, motivated by the courage of their Christian convictions, took part in a nonviolent demonstration. Colleagues chided them for their participation. It was “untimely” given the circumstances, they complained. Furthermore, the young…
Medication for opioid use disorder must fight stigma on top of addiction, but churches could help
Imagine the entire population of a city the size of Peoria, Ill., suddenly vanished. What if half the residents of Richmond, Va.; Huntsville, Ala.; or Tacoma, Wash., turned to the person next to them and that person was gone? As…
On Steven Crowder, abuse and the evangelical definition of ‘respect’
Last week, a video went viral of popular conservative commentator Steven Crowder, a professing Christian, verbally abusing his ex-wife, Hilary Crowder. Hilary’s family released the three-minute clip to clarify Steven Crowder’s claims that Hilary divorced him for no reason. In…
What went wrong at the SBC Executive Committee?
True confession: I have something in common with Adron Robinson. I, too, have chaired a failed search committee. But my experience was on a local-church level, not on a national denominational level. Nevertheless, I have more empathy for the chair…
Creation and the environment: ‘Where does God fit into all this?’
A couple of months ago, I attended a gathering with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and had the opportunity to be a part of a Q&A session with him afterward. One elderly woman asked him, “Where does God fit into all…
‘Pro-family’ groups grieve Tucker Carlson’s exit
Days after Fox News fired Tucker Carlson, its most popular on-air personality, three nonprofit organizations founded by James Dobson praised the divisive host and mourned his exit. Focus on the Family claimed the firing was a result of “spiritual warfare.”…
Why are weddings so expensive today and why are so few held in churches?
Thirty-eight years ago this summer, Alison and I said “I do” in a wedding ceremony at our home church in Albuquerque. We splurged and hired trumpeters for the simple ceremony. The crowd of 150 friends and family celebrated with us…
As summer approaches, how can parents help their children be safe at summer camp?
When parents search the internet for “how to make sure your child is safe at summer camp,” about 84,900,000 Google results appear. Most of the links are lists of tips parents can keep in mind when sending children away for…
Josh Butler isn’t done talking about God and sex yet
When The Gospel Coalition and The Keller Center scapegoated Josh Butler due to his article about sex and the church — an excerpt taken from his Beautiful Union book they previously hailed as “the Protestant magnum opus on sexual ethics we’ve been waiting for”…
Stuck in the middle with Jesus: The future of C.S. Lewis evangelicalism
Since the 2016 election, pundits, preachers and politicians have been asking why more than 80% of white evangelical voters threw their support behind the most corrupt, ill-informed, vulgar and intentionally divisive politician in American history. Gradually, a consensus emerged. Donald…
Charles Stanley shaped Christian broadcasting and the Southern Baptist Convention
Charles Frazier Stanley, one of the best-known Southern Baptist preachers of the 20th century, died April 18 at age 90. Raised in the Pentecostal tradition, Stanley was ordained to ministry by a Southern Baptist church as a young man, then…