Growing up in rural South Georgia, my only exposure to New Orleans was Greasing of the Poles on the national news, on Mardi Gras day. It was so scandalous, these revelers sliding their bodies and props on poles in the…
From cannabis to marijuana: The racializing of weed
America did not merely criminalize a plant. It criminalized a people. Before “marijuana” became America’s most politically weaponized slang term, the plant was widely known as cannabis — used in medicine, industrial hemp and natural remedies. But in the 1930s,…
What if Mohler talked about women’s bodies the way he talks about himself?
There’s a video circulating of Al Mohler speaking at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., where something critical happens to him that stops him from speaking without explanation. The audience there and those who watch the video can hear him…
Islamophobia is the next bogeyman
Our neighboring city, Frisco, Texas, appears to be a test site for the next manufactured culture war bogeyman. Remember when it was the immigrant caravan? And then wokeism and DEI corrupting public ed? And then trans people just … existing?…
Orange you aware of the problem with banning Roots?
Tennessee news has my stomach churning. To comply with the legislature’s newly mandated guidelines, Knox County Schools recently banned several books including Alex Haley’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel Roots, which depicts the horrors of enslavement. Two weeks later, the county…
Blessed is the one who resists
Psalm 1 opens with a warning that feels hauntingly modern: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.” The verse is not simply about personal morality. It is about influence, power, allegiance and the…
It’s that season again
It’s that season again. For the third year in a row, two important things are happening at the same time in my life. The first is vacation Bible school. Next week, the hallways of our church will be covered in…
What is democracy?
This is the first in a BNG series of articles on Christianity and democracy that will lead toward the July 4 celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The series has been curated by Carol McEntyre, senior minister at First Baptist Church…
Be still and know a keyboard crusade will not ‘save’ the church
Over the last decade, the so-called “MAGA” movement has infected nearly every aspect of American life, including Christianity. Evangelicals, Catholics and Orthodox Christians in the United States have been forced to endure what’s been dubbed the “Bro” movement — an…
The fascinating people who make us happy
Since 2004, a million people have shared their secrets on PostSecret.com. The secret can be a fear, regret, betrayal, confession or humiliation. These anonymous secrets have to be true and must never have been shared with anyone. The secrets include…
Why Mohler’s take against female podcasters misses the mark
Recent remarks by Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, asserting women should not interpret Scripture on podcasts, have sent shockwaves across the Southern Baptist Convention and throughout the evangelical world. Mohler’s bizarre comments regarding female podcasters have laid…
America is imperiled, but Baptists can save it
Last week, the annual meeting of the National Leadership Council of the American Baptist Churches USA took place in Atlanta under the theme, “Claim, Distinguish and Proclaim the Markers of American Baptists.” That should be considered a big deal for…