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…
Hope and the pope: Defending LGBTQ people more than our positions
With the pope all over the headlines recently, I decided to do my homework and see what all the buzz was about. I came away fascinated and with renewed hope. Since being elected in 2013, Pope Francis has advanced respect…
These were a few of my favorite things from 2023
So 2023 was an interesting year, wasn’t it? Baptist News Global wrote and edited 1,800 news, opinion and analysis pieces that addressed some of the most pressing concerns for life in America, and even in our world, today. Not everyone…
Epiphany: Manifesting the bias of heaven
As a youngster, Christmas season began the day after Thanksgiving (now known as “Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year) and ended on Dec. 26. That’s when holiday ornaments were put away, the tree was disposed (its shedded…
What the SBC should do about its most famous accused sexual abuser
Thank God, Paul Pressler has lived to the ripe old age of 93. That’s long enough to expose the Southern Baptist Convention’s most malevolent hypocrite to the shame of his reported double life. Just before the end of the year,…
A lasting New Year’s resolution: Learning to be content with just being OK
Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring out the false, ring in the true. — Alfred, Lord Tennyson The time between Christmas and the new year has always been one of my favorite weeks of the year. During…
Our unsung military personnel
My liberal tribe who admire my long gray hair, my distain of bras and my vermicomposting practice cringe a little when I talk about our military. They confuse my respect and admiration of those who serve — “Non sibi sed…
We are all ‘made of one blood,’ remember?
As Advent morphed into Christmas 2023, immigration, a poignant subplot of the Nativity stories, spilled literally and figuratively into the American public square. Immigrants by the thousands jam multiple border crossings in record numbers, creating untold humanitarian and logistical dilemmas…
Evangelicals and a happy new year
’Twas the night before the night before Christmas and the preacher was being stirred by the memory of a childhood experience. Walking down the street, listening to his transistor radio playing the holiday classic “Snoopy’s Christmas.” This merry little Christmas…
When social media photos transport me
It happens a lot with me in this last month of the year. December being Christmastime and also with more than just a few weddings having been scheduled then, I often see photos on Facebook of people I know, or…
Skinny-dipping at a church picnic
The first time I went skinny-dipping was at a church picnic. If I’m lying, I’m dying. As of this writing, brothers Ron and Steve Wilson are still alive — by some miracle — and can verify the bare facts of…