The Texas Senate voted Sept. 16 to acquit Attorney General Ken Paxton of all charges in his impeachment trial. Thus, the most controversial of all Texas politicians has returned to his position in state government with barely a slap on…
This is why people are leaving the church
Recently I was surprised to see a post from one of my former seminary professors quoting leadership advice from John Ortberg. Perhaps he did not know what caused John Ortberg to resign from his church. Multiple credible media reports have noted…
Criticism of Andy Stanley is rooted in father wounds
LGBTQ kids who grow up in conservative evangelical families tend to have father wounds because evangelicals view LGBTQ people as given over by God to a reprobate mind for the degrading of their bodies and therefore eternally condemned. The challenge…
What do we mean by ‘affirming’?
I was grateful to attend the second annual lecture of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas Sept. 11. The lecturer, Susan Shaw, is professor of women, gender and sexuality studies and director of…
How long before a revolution?
The truth telling of ethnic, racial and societal genocide no longer can be avoided. Certainly human fallibility is an all but guaranteed reality of existence, yet institutional and social abandonment of the people’s needs is a deliberate choice. This leads…
On death
“Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of…
Al Mohler vs. Andy Stanley: What’s really going on?
The ultra-conservative Calvinist complementarian crowd has been seeking evidence to convict Andy Stanley of “liberalism” for years, and now they think they’ve found the smoking gun. Except their “evidence” would only hold up if the jury were made up of…
More religion in public schools raises concerns about religious liberty
Editor’s note: This is the sixth opinion piece in a new series on religious liberty authored by BJC Fellows and made possible by a grant from the Prichard Family Foundation. Religious practices, actors, displays and institutions are becoming increasingly…
In biblical truth-telling, we need to mind the gap between clergy and laity
It doesn’t surprise me that new research shows white mainline Protestant clergy are more supportive of LGBTQ rights, abortion rights and racial justice than their congregations. I’ve been there, done that and have the scars to prove it. From my…
A ‘sad day’ for America?
Members of the Freedom Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives have made it clear how strongly disappointed they would be if Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy decides to avoid a government shutdown with support from House Democrats. “It…
In the midst of history-engendered pessimism, don’t forget the hope
History books are full of horror stories. As we look back with perspective, we read embarrassing tales of incompetent and foolish people, fearful and gullible nations, evil and egocentric leaders, entire eras that seem to have been characterized by ignorance, avarice, selfishness, myopia and bigotry. We can…
Sometimes, ‘resignation’ isn’t the reason clergy walk away from their ministry callings
Let me begin this article by acknowledging some truths about myself. I am a cisgender white female who has never been a pastor, though a minister I have been. I also am married to a cisgender white male who has…