I was 6 years old the first time I was told I couldn’t do something because I was a girl. I could be a teacher or a nurse when I grew up, but I couldn’t play on that team and I couldn’t do that thing because…
The ridiculous attack on women in ministry
As the president of another Kentucky-based seminary, I have to note Al Mohler’s forced conversation on women in ministry, like so much in our world today, is ridiculous. Those like Mohler wish to drag us into a debate about “what…
The denomination that protected predators just banned prophets
God calls women to preach. This is not a progressive talking point or a cultural accommodation. It is a theological fact, attested across centuries of Christian witness and confirmed in the lives of countless women who have heard the Spirit’s…
Democracy as the practice of loving our neighbors
In November 1883, 38-year-old Emma Lazarus wrote a poem as part of a fundraising effort for Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s “Liberty Enlightening the World” — what we now know as the Statue of Liberty. Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled…
Why I feel betrayed by the SBC
At the moment, words are hard to come by. As I sat in Palmetto Patriots VA Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing Home listening to one of my congregants share his experience of baptizing a soldier in a pool deep in…
How to read the Bible in a time of biblical authoritarianism
Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has created a stir with his proposed amendment to the Southern Baptist Convention’s constitution. He claims anyone who takes issue with the amendment is opposing biblical authority. The issue is not biblical…
We ordain women because we baptize girls
“In those days,” God declares, “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. … I will pour out my Spirit on both men and women, and they shall prophesy.” — Acts…
Is God binary?
This topic has gained much attention recently because James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate from Texas, made the statement, “God is nonbinary.” Is that true? Is God binary? Republican politicians are using Talrico’s comment as a hammer…
Who taught us to march?
Today, under a North Carolina sun pushing well past 90 degrees, hundreds gathered in downtown Chapel Hill for Pride. We assembled outside the town’s historic post office. Under tents, information about local LGBTQ organizations and resources was offered. Vendors handed…
Why I will boycott the UFC pay-per-view from the White House
A nation’s birthday should reveal what it values most. As America approaches its 250th anniversary, I find myself reflecting less on fireworks and celebrations and more on the meaning of freedom itself. That reflection has led me to a personal…
How can you afford not to? A Southern Baptist timeshare presentation
The first time I ever went to a Busch Gardens theme park, I was made to sit through a timeshare pitch. I still wasn’t old enough to sample the swill of the park’s namesake, so I admit to you I…
The church as school for democracy
This is the second 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…