An old idiom, usually attributed to Oscar Wilde, says that irony is wasted on stupid people. But not everyone who fails to appreciate irony is a mindless dolt. Some of them are quite clever, aiming their malformed wit in the…
The ongoing epidemic of pornography in the church
My first experience with porn was vacuuming cars in my dad’s service station. I was about 10 at the time, and I found magazines under some of the customer’s company cars which had naked women on almost every page. My…
What would happen if immigration policies were based on majority opinion in the U.S.?
What would happen if U.S. immigration policy were crafted based on the majority views of Americans? The two major political parties express often polar opposite views on immigration, and even presidents who are perceived as open to immigration (Barack Obama…
It’s still rare for a Baptist minister to serve in Congress
Raphael Warnock’s election to the United States Senate has been hailed as historic for several reasons — being the first Black senator from Georgia at the top of the list — but he also will become one of the few…
The Broken Heart of America paints a picture of how racism erodes a city over time and how to overcome it
I once had a seminary professor who anticipated that many of us someday would have occasion to write book reviews. When that opportunity came, he pleaded, we must never say that a book is a “must” read. My professor seemed…
‘Postcards from Babylon’ documentary tells a better story
White conservative evangelicalism had just survived its perceived nightmare of the Obama presidency. They were certain that contraception mandates, cake-baking mandates, transgender people being free to use the restroom for their gender identity, and ultimately the legalization of same-sex-marriage were…
What should pastors do if their members helped incite the Capitol riots?
In the wake of the recent attack on the United States Capitol by insurrectionists, American members of the clergy should take time to reflect on their responsibility not only as religious leaders but as civic leaders. Ministers might not, and…
Let’s begin a conversation about the church in rural areas
Using a phrase like “rural church” to categorize a particular ministry demographic is about as helpful as suggesting all ice creams are singularly flavored. When doing so, we miss the rich texture of communities, stories and theologies of a given…
America’s second Catholic president faces a vastly different landscape than the first
The first time Americans elected a Catholic as president, Baptists were among those expressing alarm over possible violations of church-state separation. This year, with the imminent inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden as the nation’s second Catholic president, the landscape looks…