Friday, on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, I gathered with a group of interfaith individuals to stand outside a mosque. I remember as a young kid having conversations with classmates as they wore their hijabs for the first time and…
There’s a Texas GOP candidate worse than Ken Paxton
Believe it or not, there’s a Republican candidate for public office in Texas who is worse than Ken Paxton. Bo French is so bad that even Sen. John Cornyn called him out on social media this weekend. That’s right, Cornyn,…
Presence and pain at Ground Zero
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I twice visited the World Trade Center site with young adult friends and family who were new to the city and wanted to pay their respects to those who died there. The first visit, coming…
When the worst happened, many gave their best
Twenty-five years ago today, our nation experienced one of the darkest days in American history. On September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in a series of terrorist attacks that changed our nation and, in many ways, changed…
Human trafficking, evangelicals and the ‘lifestyles’ of survivors
Recently, I attended a human trafficking seminar put on by a local hospital and hosted at a megachurch. Speakers discussed at length the impact of health care workers and other serving professions on victims and survivors of human trafficking. For…
On living hopefully in a despairing, destitute world
Immediately after the dastardly terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, I sat at a computer screen — in the secretary’s office of Austin Heights Baptist Church in Nacogdoches, Texas, far from home — for the better part of a day…
Why every Republican in Congress should be voted out
As the Republican Party holds its midterm convention here in Dallas this week, it’s notable how many Republican elected officials suddenly found somewhere else to be. Some of these don’t want to get more of the stink of a failing…
Truth is not on the map
One of my favorite episodes of The West Wing involves a fictional practice known as Big Block of Cheese Day. Based on Andrew Jackson’s tradition of inviting anybody and everybody to the White House for conversation and to enjoy part…
In conversation with Robert P. Jones
Robert P. Jones is founder and president of Public Religion Research Institute, a vital resource for anyone interested in religion, race, politics and justice, and also the New York Times bestselling author of a new book, Backslide: Reclaiming a Faith…
What made America great after 9/11
Twenty-five years ago, America was attacked. On September 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people were killed after al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes, striking the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pa. America awakened the next morning…
Why think of a star called Chernobyl?
Forty years ago, a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The consequences of this largest technological disaster in history — environmental contamination, ecological catastrophe and socio-economic losses — will continue to affect us for many decades. But the…
Small talk
I often reminded my students that there’s no such thing as small talk. All talk is big talk! Why? Because with our daily outpouring of talk, we create the social worlds we then inhabit. It’s sometime referred to as “the…