According to Peter Wehner, “the evangelical church is breaking apart.” The primary culprit, he says, is Donald Trump. In a feature-length piece in The Atlantic, Wehner acknowledges the historic tensions within the evangelical camp but argues that the advent of…
The U.S. wealth gap presents both a political challenge and a spiritual problem
In November 2012, a YouTube user known as “politizane” created a viral video about wealth inequality in America that animates research conducted by Dan Ariely and Michael L. Norton using a series of graphs produced by Mother Jones magazine. Ariely…
How the SBC employs the Sodom Strategy to avoid talking about real sexual abuse
Growing up in the Atlanta suburbs during the 1990s, I roamed about with much greater freedom than 9- and 10-year-olds enjoy today. But each time my mother released my sister and me to gallivant unsupervised around the mall or Six…
As Facebook evolves to Meta, what is the future of consciousness and control?
On the heels of the recent whistleblower accusations against Facebook, the social media company has decided to change its primary organizational name and logo. Founder/CEO Mark Zuckerberg noted the irony of the name-change timing during the launch of Meta, Facebook’s new parent…
A short history of the roots of colonialism, racism and whiteness in ‘Christian worldview’
The state of the conversation around race in many corners of America, including too many churches, is a mess. And before we get too far down the road, I want to register my hesitation about trying to abridge what I…
Georgia Baptists eliminate retiree benefits, citing budget concerns
Cheerful-looking envelopes from the Georgia Baptist Mission Board that dropped in the mailboxes of nearly 200 retirees in mid-September appeared to contain good news. They depicted a senior-adult couple sitting on a park bench. The envelopes presented an assumed message:…
What if your ‘Christian worldview’ is based on some sinful ideas?
I suspect that few people who frame their ideas, or their disagreements with others, in terms of “worldviews” have felt the need to deliberate on what that word means, let alone whether it is valuable or valid. Few, that is,…
Closed minds are behind the open border myth, and immigrants are not the source of COVID either
Last month, I was puzzled by a friend’s post that popped up in my Facebook feed. “Guess the pandemic is over now since we have open borders. No?” Having just returned to the United States after five years living in…
As the American population grows older, church ministries need to shift
There’s one important reason for the graying of America’s churches that often gets overlooked in the rush to “attract more young people.” That reason is simple and obvious to anyone who reads demographics: America as a nation is graying. In…
Why there’s a challenging future ahead for Baptist seminaries and future faculty
In the next five to 10 years, moderate and progressive-leaning Baptist institutions of theological higher education are going to have to make some difficult decisions. Theological education generally has been struggling for quite some time. The high watermark of church…
A prayer for the death of the death penalty
On Sept. 8, 2021, the United States Supreme Court took the unusual step of staying Texas’ execution of John Ramirez, a convicted murderer. The question the court has decided to consider is a narrow one. Notably, the question is not…
The pandemic of the unclaimed dead
“Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals.” —…