During her 10-day Las Vegas residency, Kelly Clarkson surprised the audience last Saturday night by singing a song many thought she’d never sing again, “Piece by Piece.” But this time, she rewrote the lyrics into an anthem of self-empowerment. First…
The sacrament of the Southern summer shore
Growing up in a doubly landlocked state, we were lake people. When my sixth grade Girl Scout troop went to Savannah and Tybee Island, many of the girls never had seen the ocean before. Instead of beach trips, people would…
Flynn tells preachers, ‘Put the Bible aside and read the Constitution’
Gen. Michael Flynn received a preaching lesson from me last year in a Baptist News Global article, “Don’t Take Preaching Lessons from General Flynn.” I quoted Flynn’s suggestion: ““What (preachers) need to be doing is they need to be talking…
What was I made for? Not to be pretty or skinny
Analysis of Google search data by online fitness resource Total Shape has revealed that searches for “Margot Robbie diet” have exploded by 1364% in the United States, following the release of the Barbie movie on July 21. The Barbie movie has…
The Barbie movie and Christian calling as a struggle of creation
Like many other women around the world, my sister, Olivia, and I went together to watch the new Barbie movie. Yes, we are both adults, but we chose to see this movie because we thought it would be a funny,…
Why I keep writing about Donald Trump
Writing about Donald Trump has been a six-year cottage industry. Some observers say people are tired of Trump. This argument suggests writing about Trump only keeps him in the news cycle and does more harm than good. There’s merit to…
No wonder there’s no wonder
I received my earliest biblical and ecclesiastical knowledge in the Greek Orthodox Church, the church of my childhood. If I learned to experience wonder at all, I learned it there. Of course, experiencing earthly wonder included consuming huge feasts of…
Trump, ‘law and order,’ and evangelical hypocrisy
“There’s a new sheriff in town” is a familiar American idiom. It evokes the image of a strong man who has come into a lawless Western town to establish much-needed law and order. This is a man who would rule…
Letter to the editor: Remembering better financial management at Southwestern
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…