Sioux City, like most towns in the rural Midwest, went heavily for Trump in 2016. It was there that the Republican candidate claimed he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue without losing votes. Many of the Sioux Center residents interviewed…
In this election year, we need a ‘come to Moses’ meeting
We are in for an ugly ride on our way to Nov. 3, 2020. All the talking heads agree: this election season may be the nastiest in American history. Weighting its nastiness will be the God-factor. Both parties, speaking from different…
If elected, Harris would be fifth Baptist vice president; the first was a slaveholder
If Joe Biden wins the November election, his running mate announced Aug. 11 will become the fifth Baptist vice president. Sen. Kamala Harris attends Third Baptist Church in San Francisco. However, as a Black and Asian American woman, Harris stands…
This is a step toward stopping Muslim travel bans
For more than three years, Americans have watched the “travel ban” saga play out at the White House, in the courts, and even in the streets, with disastrous effects for American Muslims and global communities. Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the NO BAN Act,…
Collaboration is the strategy for a hopeful religious future
Erik Larson released a remarkable book earlier this year, The Splendid and the Vile, detailing the extremely complicated, interesting and inspiring relationship between Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt. Churchill and Roosevelt developed a unique friendship over time, both products of…
Politicians won’t save us: Reclaiming our prophetic voice
I don’t know about you, but every day I’m receiving more and more messages from friends and family about the upcoming presidential election. Since I’m a pastor, the messages sent to me tend to focus on how either Donald Trump…
Why should private religious schools be exempt from health mandates?
The ink was hardly dry on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s authorization for local health authorities to determine in-person school reopening this fall when Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton declared that religious schools would be exempt from any such restrictions. In…
The Supreme Court term: Something for everyone to love and hate
The Supreme Court’s major rulings this June and early July may collectively be remembered as one of the most constructive political developments of this momentous and terrible year. The court’s decisions this term gave important wins and losses to both…
There’s a double standard on pastors and politics
Imagine a prominent white Baptist pastor taking to cable news to make a case for Joe Biden and then appearing at rallies to campaign for the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. All hell would break loose. And that pastor would soon…
Supreme Court opens new chapter of state funding for religious schools
The hotly contested barrier between private religious schools and government funding cracked significantly wider June 30 with a landmark ruling by the United States Supreme Court. In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that the state of Montana may not…
‘Thy kingdom come; thy will be done’: Independence Day and the Lord’s Prayer
Do we really want God’s kingdom to come? Do we want God’s will to be done – here in America in the year 2020? Are we willing to change? Do we want the world to turn upside down?
Juneteenth should remind us of all the things we don’t know
The more we learn about someone else’s story, the more understanding we gain about their perspectives.