Adam Hamilton, founder and senior pastor of the largest congregation in The United Methodist Church, announced in an email and video Feb. 27 he is exploring a possible candidacy for the U.S. Senate as an independent. He said he is…
Wicked upon wicked leaves wicked
You may or may not know Billy Preston’s 1974 hit, “Nothin’ from Nothin’ Leaves Nothin’.” But never mind, the refrain is as much mathematical truth as it is moral wisdom. As I considered the world this past weekend, the moral…
Keep hope alive: The legacy of Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. died Feb. 17. Like his mentor, Martin Luther King Jr., Jackson has left a lasting impact on our nation and world. So what is that legacy? Some people will remember Jese Jackson as a protester. After…
Yes, the president is a racist
The feral utility of dog whistle statements rests in their deniability. A racist tweets the whistle, and friends and foes alike get the racist message. Then the whistler denies they whistled, insisting instead that foes are overly defensive or are…
Why is Goldman Sachs selling a warehouse for human imprisonment?
Yesterday, a series of protests of Dalfen Industries began in Dallas, since they’ve recently sold a warehouse to ICE in New Jersey. This began because of a request from patriotic Americans in New Jersey who asked for Texans’ help in…
We have a mad king; now what?
President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Feb. 24, the longest on record at one hour 47 minutes, didn’t offer much but we did get a clear picture of the state of the presidency. Trump’s own words stack the…
When the church confuses vocation with calling
Across several denominations, pastors are leaving congregations at accelerated rates, citing burnout, conflict and misalignment between their sense of calling and the realities of congregational life. Much of that conversation has focused on workload, compensation and leadership fatigue — all…
I am Black, queer and Baptist Christian
Being Black and gay is living life on the margins. My Christian identity is centered on my love for my community. While having proximity to whiteness (interracial marriage with a loving husband) has informed my vocational mission, I know it…
‘Your children will ask you’
“Your children will ask you what side you were on.” That’s what Jacob Frey, mayor of Minneapolis, said at a news conference Jan. 24 after the shooting death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti at the hands of ICE “officers.” Pretti, a…
Another letter from Birmingham
Our nation’s current campaign of intimidation against our immigrant neighbors has called to mind Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, written in April 1963 by King from a prison cell not far from where I am writing this morning…
Olympics and the danger of performative patriotism
With the Winter Olympics just ended, we have been reminded of the dangers of performative patriotism that cannot tolerate contradiction. When we demand those who wear the flag speak only in praise, we are not preserving the apolitical nature of…
Protecting Epstein survivors should be a bipartisan priority
With news of Prince Andrew’s arrest, it is even clearer that the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse deserve justice and healing. During the recent testimony of the U.S. attorney general to the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., was…