Jesse C. Fletcher Seminary in San Antonio is an exciting place for women and men to prepare for Christian ministries of many kinds. The young seminary — whose core values are servant leadership, authentic community, engagement and inclusivity — extends…
Christians must reassert themselves in the public square and demand behavior consistent with belief
Upon meeting each other, the brothers in my esteemed fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, have a unique way of greeting and engaging that establishes and proves membership. We’ve learned interrogating to establish membership is crucial because there are a lot of…
Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Tia Levings
Tia Levings was deeply embedded in a Christian fundamentalist movement that sanctioned her abuse and complete control by her husband. As she describes in her new memoir, A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy, she fled that tradition to…
What if you decided to love your child before you knew they were gay?
Dear parent, I’m writing today with a tough ask. I’m asking you not only to give a loving reception if your child “comes out” as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer. I’m asking you to imagine that day even if…
A bad leader has corrupted the Republican Party and churches that identify with it
From a leadership studies point of view, political parties, even when healthy, aren’t ordinary organizations. They become notoriously dysfunctional when they are unhealthy. Similarly, churches aren’t ordinary organizations. When they follow the patterns of leadership modeled and demonstrated by Jesus,…
We can no longer ignore the toxic forms of ‘evangelism’
Recently, I wrote an analysis about some of the shadow funders behind Project 2025. As part of that article, I pointed out how the form of evangelism embraced by many evangelicals is “dominating, colonialist and culturally offensive” and therefore “morally…
We ‘Jezebels’ can wield power with righteous authority
Until this week, I didn’t know I had something in common with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for U.S. president. In our time, we’ve both been labeled Jezebel. “Jezebel” has been the name for so many women whom…
Our most basic freedom — deciding one’s own religion
My most recent column was on Christian nationalism and the threat that movement poses to religious freedom. Some would say that is our most basic freedom — to make our own way through the thicket of religions that clamor for…
Reflections upon agrarian/poet/activist Wendell Berry’s 90th birthday
My mother-in-law loves me. I know I’m in her good graces, and she considers me part of her family. I can testify to such assurance because she lavishes me with her chosen form of affection. Her delivery method? Arguing. She’ll…
Passing the mantle: Lessons for today’s leadership transitions
Leadership transitions are critical occasions that call for insight, humility and wisdom. The choice to relinquish power and hand it to a successor has a big impact on continuity and legacy, whether it’s in politics, ministry or any other institution….
A week at Chautauqua has me pondering the future of the Protestant Mainline
I was fussing over a jigsaw puzzle when somebody turned on the Biden-Trump debate. As the combatants droned on in the background, my attention remained firmly fixed on the task before me. It was all birds and foliage. A thousand…
Church/state mandates then and now: A tenuous freedom
Church/state mandates began early in the American colonies. On July 19, 1651, three Baptists — John Clarke, Obadiah Holmes and John Crandall — traveled from Newport, R.I., to Lynn, Mass., and the home of William Witter, who requested their visit…