I am thankful for the interesting people I meet working the early-morning shift at the front desk of our local YMCA. These interactions are pleasant and encouraging as we all try to wake up and get the day underway. One…
I don’t hate Donald Trump; I just don’t like him
My critics swear I hate Donald Trump. Set the record straight: I do not hate Donald Trump. After writing two books opposing his rhetoric and actions, The Immaculate Mistake and Good and Evil in the Garden of Evil, and more…
Do any of these Bible stories remind you of Donald Trump?
The evangelical Trumpians are at it again. In 2015, Donald Trump rode down an escalator announcing his intention to become America’s political messiah. He knocked off his primary opponents and general election foes one-by-one, dismissing them as “low energy” Jeb…
Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Linda Livingstone
Linda Livingstone took office as the 15th president of Baylor University in 2017 during one of Baylor’s most challenging times. During her tenure, the university has become one of America’s few faith-based universities to achieve Research 1 status and made…
A preacher takes a screenwriting class
written by Brett Younger FADE IN 1 INT. KITCHEN – DAY 1 A couple sitting at their kitchen table in a Brooklyn brownstone have just finished two pieces of birthday cake. Sixty-three burnt candles have a plate of their own….
Get ready for the Kamala backlash
Like many in our country, the political events of the past few weeks have left me stunned and cautious. I feel as if I’m in the middle of a dystopian novel, wondering what unanticipated turn will happen next. In the…
Oh, dear, what could the trouble be?
Plopping down in our library, I pour myself a glass of something the unlicensed Baptist preacher Elijah Craig had a hand in making. I sift through a plastic milk crate. A small collection of vinyl is housed in it. I…
Welcoming refugees is an opportunity for churches to practice the ministry of hospitality
As heated debates about immigration continue on the national stage, it is more important than ever for Christians to practice compassion to the vulnerable and the stranger — to shape the conversation around immigration toward greater hospitality instead of being…
Seeing in color
I am old enough to remember black and white television. Color TVs didn’t become affordable until the mid-1960s, and I recall getting our first one at home in 1969. Seeing actors in full color made a difference. While I can’t…
Why is my city in a hotel bed with the NRA?
Imagine what would happen if the ninth-largest city in America worked out a deal with Planned Parenthood to host a weeklong convention in city-owned facilities and gave them a $927,000 discount. Conservatives and anti-abortion churches would lose their ever-loving minds….
Defending Jesus: Learning how to react in a post-Christendom culture
The Olympic Games opening ceremony featured what seemed to have been a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, only the members of the supper were represented by drag performers. And, in case you live under a rock or are…
A call to Christian discernment: Faith, politics and divine protection
“Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.” — Psalm 146:3 In the wake of the recent attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, a storm of emotions and reactions has swept across our nation….