Editor’s note: Gina Jacobs-Strain, newly called general secretary of American Baptist Churches USA, spoke with The Christian Citizenabout her plans and hopes for the denomination and the challenges she anticipates in her new role. This interview is republished by BNG…
The reluctant Anglican: Learning a new way to worship
From the time I was born until just a couple of years ago, I was a Southern Baptist to my core. I was baptized by immersion at a young age. I learned the Bible in Southern Baptist children’s ministries, GAs…
I’m learning to live with cancer
My cell phone rang as I was working my way through the morning meds and procedures that are part of Day 4 after a mastectomy. I didn’t recognize the Dallas number, but these days there are so many calls from…
Six oddities about the Texas school ‘chaplains’ legislation
In August last year, I joined more than a hundred other Texas professional chaplains in signing a letter opposing a law that would use school safety funds to employ chaplains. We saw multiple oddities in the claims, and I say…
Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Leonard Hamlin Sr.
Leonard Hamlin Sr. serves as canon missioner and minister of equity and inclusion at the Washington National Cathedral. A Black Baptist pastor, Canon Hamlin oversees the Cathedral’s outreach and social justice work. Given the symbolic importance of its role as…
Loneliness and tyranny
“What prepares men for totalitarian domination … is the fact that loneliness … has become an everyday experience of the ever-growing masses,” according to Hannah Arendt in The Origins of Totalitarianism, written in 1951. Loneliness, it seems, has moved from…
Don’t sacrifice trans kids on a political altar
Many years ago, I read a comic novel in which one character’s hobby was described as “leaping to the defense of ….” We United Methodists are sometimes accused of the same predilection, of being theologically and spiritually wired to stand…
Memoirs: To write or not to write
I wonder why some people write memoirs and some do not. Recently I have been considering the possibility of writing a memoir. You are likely thinking, “Why would he even consider writing a memoir?” That is a fair question. As…
The Flea Flicker and other tricks from the fundamentalist playbook
The NFL is in the midst of the playoffs to see who will soon battle in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Feb. 11. As the remaining contenders compete, coaches and players watch hours of film on their opponents…