United States Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, noted for her random assaults on fellow legislators, was confronted by Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Green responded with what has been labeled a “racially loaded attack.” Greene…
An eleventh commandment: Be careful what you wish for
As a biblical studies professor, I have noted with interest Senate Bill 1515 in the Texas Legislature to place the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom. But what are the Ten Commandments? There is no single definitive version of…
In the beginning and the here and now: Genesis’ call to care for creation
The Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose, Texas, should not be confused with the Creation Museum, in Petersburg, Ky. Both museums have a Noah’s Ark, but the one in Texas is only a 25-foot replica, while the one in Kentucky…
Ron DeSantis is dead wrong — again
The irony would be humorous if it weren’t so deadly. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis today signed four bills passed by his Legislature that further discriminate against the LGBTQ community in a state already famous for its “Don’t Say Gay” law….
Providing an alternative to toxic religion
It’s no secret that The United Methodist Church is fracturing, primarily over LGBTQ issues. Thousands of UMC churches already have disaffiliated from the denomination. Large numbers of others are considering doing so before the end of 2023. And many more…
Dear General Flynn, you are wrong about us
The ReAwaken America Tour made its latest stop at Donald Trump’s National Doral Miami. The three-day revival ended last Saturday. Among the hodgepodge of conspiracy theorists and wannabe powerful preachers, Gen. Michael Flynn sounded the most ominous. He said, “The…
Our weekly gun massacres mark a devastating cultural failure
Our weekly gun massacres in the United States are shocking in the extreme. They set us apart from other nations in the worst possible sense. I have not yet been in or near one of these massacres. The closest I…
A primer on leading public prayer
Sunday, April 30, was my last Sunday as minister of music at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. That day my colleague, George Mason, senior pastor emeritus, offered Prayers of the People, a regular part of our worship liturgy led by…
Taking a chance at Bubba-Doo’s
The excitement about the big raffle being held this year shouldn’t have taken me by surprise. Yet it did. There was some buzz about these tickets online. Yes, we live in a small rural community. But many of our locals…
Donald Trump is not the kind of star he thinks he is
Donald Trump did not appear at his trial in New York City, where he was accused of raping and defaming author E. Jean Carroll. He did testify under oath, however, in a deposition with Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, at Mar-a-Lago…
Why did it take 20 years to learn my most far-reaching life lesson?
How does a moment morph from repeatably mundane to irreversibly transformative? That question has echoed through my mind countless times across more than 46 years — since an unrecorded lecture in an unremarkable classroom on an otherwise unmemorable autumn morning…
Finding ways to speak up when it’s a Whisper Wednesday: Lessons from the meek
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” is a Beatitude that has held a special place in my heart. I always have been a soft-spoken, shy girl. I sit at the front of the classroom to get…