When Anna Piela and Michael Woolf’s Confronting Islamophobia in the Church crossed my desk, I placed it on the stack of books I need to read. Judson Press released the book as a new resource for equipping Christian communities to…
Springtime for war crimes
There is a song in Mel Brooks’ musical The Producers called “Springtime for Hitler.” In the show, two producers intentionally create the most offensive Broadway musical imaginable. They assume no audience would tolerate a Broadway number glorifying Adolf Hitler. The…
Here’s what’s wrong with Baylor hosting a TPUSA event
Let’s be crystal clear about the double standard at work at Baylor University. University regents and administrators are still running scared of LGBTQ inclusion but they’re perfectly fine with hosting the bigotry of Turning Point USA on campus. In case…
A white Golden Calf in Arkansas
In the second book of the Bible, the story of the Golden Calf is a warning about what happens when people replace truth with idols of their own making. In Exodus 32:4, the Israelites fashioned a golden calf and proclaimed,…
Talarico wrongly faulted for beliefs and behavior
James Talarico recently held a rally at the Waco Hippodrome. My wife and I are grateful we attended. We joined a long line of diverse Wacoans, talking excitedly as we waited to clear security and enter the theater. When Talarico…
Fact checking three things James Talarico said
James Talarico was a child when I was on the pastoral staff of his church for a year. We attended the same seminary, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. I want to look at three of the things he has said that…
Letter to the Editor: Bad democracy and bad religion
On March 9, U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee posted on X that “Muslims don’t belong in American Society.” I find that statement offensive on many levels. I’ll mention two. First, the statement is a violation of the United States…
The difference between instinct and intention
This summer, the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team will be celebrated in Las Vegas, hosted by none other than American rapper Flavor Flav. The event promises music, spotlight and unmistakable enthusiasm. What stands out most is not the celebrity factor,…
Letter to the Editor: The third temptation of Jesus
Dear Editor: As I was reflecting on the temptations of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 4:1-10, I began to look at the third temptation with different eyes. At once, the thought came to me how there are so many professing…
‘When are half your members going to be dead?’
In the concluding chapter of American Mainline Christianity: Its Changing Shape and Future, Wade Clark Roof and William McKinney predicted this: The churches of the Protestant establishment, long in a state of relative decline, will continue to lose ground both…
Teacher! The media farted!
We’ve all heard it. The Christian Right says our social ills are rooted in the “lamestream media.” The Left jumps on the media-bashing bandwagon when the subject is outlets like Fox News. You can bet your home theater that legitimate…
What it means for the church to live toward ‘one’
The world continues to change — but it didn’t used to seem like it did. Back “in the day,” it seemed to me that there was a great deal of consistency in the life of the church. Growing up in…