I’m not usually the person who walks around every day wearing Pride merchandise. In fact, I tend to wear all black clothing the majority of the time, a holdover from the “emo kid” fashion influence of my teens. So standing…
Moderate and progressive Christians must speak up
I have tried numerous times to synthesize my thoughts on the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in 303 Creative vs. Elenis, where a 6-3 majority ruled that a website designer could deny services to a same-sex couple based on her…
What Baptists have in common with pirates (the nice ones)
In light of recent Baptist news, I’ve been doing some reflection about how Baptists are really a lot like pirates, in a good way. (Disclaimer: I’m talking about the pirates of Treasure Island and Errol Flynn and Pirates of the…
A pilgrim in a strange land: How one United Methodist found a home in moderate Baptist life
It is no secret that The United Methodist Church is in chaos. Churches are voting to leave the denomination left and right, once healthy congregations are now divided, longtime relationships are being damaged, and good people are being hurt. Several…
Letter to the Editor: The alternative to a senior pastor
July 11, 2023 Dear Editor: Herewith is my response to the insightful article by Mark Wingfield on the matter of associate pastors. I never wanted to be a senior pastor. Well, that’s not the whole truth. When senior pastors would…
There is no center
Some among us want you to believe they represent the “center” politically or theologically — or both. Which causes me to ask: The center of what? This mythical center is wielded as a means of saying to others: “You’re an…
Find something you’re bad at
When I was a student in Mississippi, my school did not recognize the existence of foreign languages. My lowest grade in college was in Spanish. My lowest grade in seminary was in Greek. After five months in Chile, I could…
One of my pastors is serving life in prison
The first time I saw Judy Mullins, everything shifted into filtered slow motion like a scene from a teen movie. I was a high school senior attending a combined high school and college Sunday school class when she — a…
Old men dreaming dreams: Paul Simon and Bruce Cockburn reflect on life, death and God
When my two favorite singer-songwriters both released albums within a single week, I was reminded of the prophet Joel’s promise that “your old men will dream dreams.” Paul Simon will be 82 in October, and Bruce Cockburn just turned 78,…
Taking down affirmative action only gives the illusion of equality
As it relates to affirmative action, the underlying issue, which I have not heard anyone name, is the pervasive assumption that Black people are not/cannot be better or more qualified than any white person or a model minority. Black people…
Blind trust can be dangerous
Stanley Hauerwas is “considered by many to be one of the world’s most influential living theologians” and was named “America’s Best Theologian” by Time magazine in 2001. He shares a humorous memory in his autobiography, Hannah’s Child: A Theologian’s Memoir: The…
My obituary for the Baptist General Convention of Texas
Losing something that once was valued and respected is painful. It doesn’t matter if it’s been circling the drain for years. When death finally comes, the grief is real. Such was the case for me recently with the Baptist General…