Watching Donald Trump take over the American political church months ago in Iowa on the holiday that celebrates Martin Luther King, it became clear how far the church has fallen from the teachings of Jesus Christ. In King, the American…
May your search for truth land on these sacred words: ‘I am enough’
My life, like so many others, is a journey of seemingly unrelated worlds merging in joyous, messy, difficult, lovely ways that defy easy explanations. My experience in the arena of professional clergy intersects with the domestic sphere as a wife…
Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Melissa Deckman
Melissa Deckman is a political scientist studying gender, religion and American politics. The author of the wondrous new book The Politics of Gen Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy from Columbia Press, she also is CEO of…
How will your grandchildren look back on your vote this year?
Driving around my neighborhood in North Dallas, I’ve noticed an unspoken correlation with political yard signs this fall. Because we’ve lived in the same house for 25 years, I have a pretty good idea of who my neighbors are. It…
‘Don’t fence me in’
In 1997, Mercedes Benz launched an exciting ad campaign in an effort to rebrand themselves as more relevant and fun-loving. The series of ads was set to the Gene Autry song “Don’t Fence Me In,” and those commercials live rent…
Tucker Carlson is a danger to American families
Just when you think the lies and threats from MAGA world can’t get any scarier, Tucker Carlson shows up. The fired Fox News personality spoke at a Trump rally in Georgia Oct. 23 sponsored by Turning Point Action, an evangelicals-for-Trump…
I have come to a fork in the road and I must take it
I am embarrassed. I don’t have an excuse. My friends don’t understand what’s wrong with me. I moved from Atlanta to Brooklyn eight years ago. I’m a baseball fan who, inexplicably, hasn’t chosen between the Mets and Yankees. This is…
Improvising Grace: Reformation and dissent
Author’s note: On Oct. 22, I was privileged to preach at a convocation celebrating the 25th anniversary of the School of Divinity at Wake Forest University. I pass it along in this Reformation week. …
How Christians can support religious liberty without sacrificing human dignity
With Election Day in two weeks and early voting already under way, it’s impossible to miss how religion continues to be wielded in American politics. For decades, Christianity has been co-opted to justify a specific slate of policies, narrowing what…