Tim O’Hare has taken limited government to a new self-defeating level. The Tarrant County, Texas, county judge (chief executive of the county government) declared last week: “I don’t believe it’s the county government’s responsibility to try to get more people…
Loneliness in clergywomen — its causes and impacts and what we can do about it
A 2022 Barna study found 65% of Protestant pastors in the United States feel lonely at least sometimes, with 18% experiencing isolation frequently. These numbers are up significantly from Barna’s 2015 research. In addition, a 2020 survey revealed that 20%…
Searching for Grace: A necessary ending
This is the first of a five-part fictional story set in the early 1990s about Rev. Paul Graham and his congregation, Grace United Church of Christ. In the spring of 1991, Rev. Paul Graham assumed the deacons meeting at…
Hopeful positivity, the most powerful countercultural revolution a person can wage
During the pandemic, actor John Krasinski created a YouTube series titled “Some Good News.” From his living room, the actor famous for his role on The Office shared uplifting stories showcasing humanity’s good side. Unfortunately, once life got back to…
Going public with Lent’s call to penitence
“Concealment makes the soul a swamp. Confession is how you drain it.” — Charles M. Blow They have treated the wound of my people carelessly. They acted shamefully, they committed abomination, yet they did not know how to blush. —…
Letter to the Editor: Speaking ill of the dead
February 25, 2024 Dear Editor: Ken Chafin was a friend of mine. I could not believe what the Baptist pope, Al Mohler, said about my dead friend. It says something about his lack of character to belittle a dead man. The…
What Josh Hawley got right and wrong about the City of God
In a recent essay by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., called “Our Christian Nation,” he argues Christians should bring the gospel to bear on every aspect of life — society, economy and most especially on government. It’s certainly a thoughtful essay,…
On sitting in the shade of another’s tree
One of the most notable differences since leaving conservative evangelicalism has been my body’s reaction to justice-themed events on the calendar. If the day or month had something to do with LGBTQ people, my immediate reaction would be one of…
Hope roots in truth-telling and grows with action
“People speak of hope as if it is this delicate, ephemeral thing. … It’s not. Hope has dirt on her face, blood on her knuckles, the grit of the cobblestones in her hair, and just spat out a tooth as…
Consider the martyrs, then and now
The announcement of the death of Russian dissident Alexei A. Navalny on Feb. 16 sent me running to the iconic work, THE BLOODY THEATER OR MARTYRS MIRROR OF THE DEFENSELESS CHRISTIANS … COMPILED FROM VARIOUS AUTHENTIC CHRONICLES, MEMORIALS, AND TESTIMONIES,…
Artificial intelligence spells the end of church as we know it
The advent of artificial intelligence marks the end of human endeavor in church and society. Maybe not now, and maybe not in 10 years (if humanity lives that long), but sooner than we’re prepared to cope with it. There’s small…
Pressler’s power ensnares an unlikely victim, Al Mohler
Poor Al Mohler. He’s Paul Pressler’s latest victim. “How can that be?” you ask. “Nobody has enjoyed Southern Baptist Convention prominence as famously and magnificently as Al Mohler.” That’s true, of course. Mohler came along at just the right time…