For decades, political moderates and liberals have accused the Religious Right of advocating for a de facto religious test for office. With the upcoming confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, the shoe may be…
Noah had a quick trip compared to John MacArthur’s battle with Los Angeles County
Noah spent less time surviving a global flood in his ark than it has taken for Pastor John MacArthur and Los Angeles County to sort out their fight over public health restrictions due to the threat of a global pandemic….
Mormons and the 2020 presidential election: It’s complicated
Because of the way the Electoral College works in U.S. presidential contests, Mormons could play a decisive role in this year’s election. At play, the swing states of Nevada and Arizona and a surprising decreasing loyalty to the Republican Party…
How democracy dies: ‘Give us a king’
The fall of ancient Israel began almost before it rose — when the people demanded of Samuel, “Give us a king to lead us.” You can read the whole, sorry story in 1 Samuel 8. The aging prophet who had…
RBG: Defender of equality, principled dissenter, faithful supporter of religious liberty
The news of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on Friday felt like a kick in the gut. Although she was 87 years old and had survived several bouts of cancer, her death still came as a sudden…
Do Southern Baptists need a rebranding?
In the midst of a turbulent summer of police violence against Black Americans, the pressure for institutional fixtures of American society to examine the legacies of their names never has been greater. Now the Southern Baptist Convention, according to the…
A primer for non-Methodists on the Methodist ties that bind
Divorce is never easy. Even in the most amicable partings, the division of assets causes more contention than any other irreconcilable differences. In the case of United Methodists, breaking up may be even harder to do because of the structural…
Understanding the gray/green divide in American church life
While electoral maps in the United States are often colored red and blue, aerial imagery of the country suggests that the real colors of our political spectrum are gray and green. From the gray, concrete landscapes of urban America to…
This year’s tug of war over the Catholic vote and why it matters
Much has been written about evangelical Christian support for President Donald Trump — believed to be a key to his election in 2016 — but attention this year is turning also to the Catholic vote as a pivotal bloc. Joe…