August 8, 2023 Dear Editor: As we shake our collective heads over more than $140 million in deficit spending by the previous two administrations of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southern Baptists must know the story of one of Southwestern’s great unsung…
When artificial intelligence finds its way into the church
Throughout history, the gospel has been subjected to scorn, disbelief and persecution, yet its transformative message, thriving under God’s Spirit, has endured. Even so, each successive generation of Christians confronts a unique set of challenges, shaped by worldly opposition and…
Ain’t no tellin’
I know it’s not correct grammar. I know it’s a double negative. I know it calls into service that most criticized of English juxtapositions. I know it betrays me and surfaces my semi-hidden blue-collar origins. I was taught better, but…
Apparently, the cruelty is still the point
Amanda Zurawski was 17 weeks pregnant when she learned she was miscarrying and at a high risk for infection. But the fetus still had a heartbeat, and her life wasn’t deemed to be in danger, so she was sent home…
Honest conversations about grief: Navigating the journey of loss
Grief is an inevitable part of the human experience, an emotional upheaval that comes hand in hand with loss. Whether it be the passing of a loved one, the end of a cherished relationship or even the loss of a…
Paternity leave and the church’s need for change
The meet-and-greet with my new congregation was a bit awkward, to say the least. Everyone was kind, inviting and welcoming, but as you may often do when meeting a new person, many asked, “Do you have any kids?” Just two…
The climate canary is dead
I was on my way to a good friend’s installation to a new ministry when the climate crisis whomped me right upside my head. Maybe it was the heat radiating up from the highway overpass I’d just crossed that ignited…
The tide is pulling toward inclusion
Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” LGBTQ inclusion in faith spaces is no exception to that. It’s a slow, arduous journey, and we’ve seen many more setbacks than…
Farming is ministry: 5 ways your congregation can start today
Two years out of seminary and a year into the pandemic, I walked away from my full-time nonprofit position and onto a farm. Far from walking away from ministry, I found farming to be a ministry. One that embodies unique…
Marjorie Taylor Greene says we can ignore Trump’s bad news because God ‘has plans’
Don’t worry about Donald Trump’s third criminal indictment, Marjorie Taylor Greene told Republicans Aug. 2, because “God has plans.” The controversial U.S. representative from Georgia appeared on the far-right cable network Real America’s Voice to talk about Trump’s latest legal…
American Idolatry: How Christian nationalism betrays the gospel and threatens the church
This week, I’m sharing a conversation with my friend Andrew Whitehead, who helps us understand the MAGA movement, the insurrection on January 6, and their disturbing religious underpinnings. His important new book, American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel…
If CRT is a LIE, why are some people still illustrating its REALITY?
In 2023, in the land of the free and the home of the unreported perks of Supreme Court justices, the American Culture War seems to find a new front to defend or invade every day or so. At least it…