Have you noticed how museum exhibitions, like everything else, have changed? As a creative person, I’ve quietly observed this for years while visiting museums on the West Coast. Big changes were a topic of conversation recently at Crocker Art Museum…
Will Christian Trump supporters exchange their humanity for ignorance or for violent delights?
“MAY THEY ROT IN HELL,” Donald Trump posted in all caps on Truth Social Christmas Day. “AGAIN, MERRY CHRISTMAS!” Although this message was par for the course when it comes to Trump, it also offered a moment that caught many…
Building God’s economy — surprising developments in the Lone Star State
When I moved from Texas in 1992, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship was just getting started. At the time, the Baptist General Convention of Texas was still mostly able to walk a fine line and keep from moving too far to…
Upward social comparison in the age of social media — and coming to terms with not being an Instagram model
In the age of social media, we constantly are bombarded with heavily curated and often-edited content that displays images advertising the ideal. Ideal bodies, clothing, families, homes. You name it, and there is a social media page for it. For…
When discussing abortion, let’s settle into our ROCKERS
“For the purposes of this class, I don’t care what your position on abortion is. I care that you have a position that is well-informed, well-reasoned and respectfully articulated.” That’s what I’ve told nearly 16 years’ worth of students in…
Silence is not an option for the church on January 6
The church should not remain silent when January 6 rolls around. It was an insurrection. It was incited. It was planned. It was intended. It was a response to a dastardly lie. Trump did lose. Biden did win. People did…
How to find your way home: Confessions of a workaholic
My wife clocked out of her state job for the last time recently. She is now officially retired. It’s good timing, as she’s needed to help her mother care for her father, who is in hospice care. Recently, my wife…
Can Christianity be deinstitutionalized?
My all-time favorite movie is The Shawshank Redemption starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. This classic prison film tells the story of Andy Dufresne, a banker falsely convicted of the double murder of his wife and her lover. A profound…
We face a cultural crisis, not just a political one
As Jeanie and I danced the night away in Atlanta on New Year’s Eve — yes, we actually did that, although I admit I ended up with a twisted knee, a sadly predictable outcome for a man of my rapidly…
Things I would tell my younger self
Sometimes when I’m watching the news, there’ll be a story about an older woman being mugged or a grandma being held hostage. “A 63-old grandmother was severely injured today,” the newscaster will intone with all the gravity due the harming…
The roots of white evangelical desperation
The base of the Republican Party is controlled by white evangelical voters, people who punch above their weight because they have been reduced to utter despair. Animals are particularly dangerous when cornered or wounded, and American white evangelicals are both….
Unholy vows, endangered women and Texas abortion politics
Old Testament scholar Phyllis Trible names it one of the “texts of terror” in the Hebrew Scriptures: Jephthah, a Gileadite general, is facing a decisive battle with the Ammonites. He makes a vow to God: If you give me the…