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…
In defense of DEI: 10 benefits of DEI in higher education
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs in higher education are under attack around the country. Conservatives see these programs as purveyors of “wokeism” that limit free speech and teach discrimination, hate and divisiveness. I’ve spent my 37-year-career in higher education in…
Trump’s Groundhog Day, the insurrection that refuses to stop
I planned to write this essay about January 6 as an anniversary piece. Because I am a public speech teacher, it has felt particularly cruel for conservatives to deny what happened on that dark day. When Donald Trump Jr. sarcastically…
What ever happened to Barabbas?
Barabbas! Oh, Barabbas! What happened to you after you were freed from prison? Did you become a celebrity with the religious leaders who encouraged the crowd to call for your release? Did you thank Jesus for his sacrifice? Did you…
U.S. Capitol hosts first screening of ‘God + Country’ documentary
To better understand the events of the January 6 insurrection, you have to understand the role Christian nationalism played in that fateful day. A new film explores the upsurge of religious extremism and its potential dangers to our nation. God…