What do the following human interactions have in common? A simple disagreement between two individuals, an intellectual property lawsuit, road rage, marital strife, military conflict. In some context, each is typically an outgrowth of misunderstanding. Some may argue that the…
Judging the stripper and the carouser in ourselves at the Communion table
“The Bible says not to judge,” my Sunday school classmate says to me. I reply, “So, you’re making a judgment that my position on judgment is wrong?” I smile. “You see the irony here, right?” The person stares. Perplexed. I…
After the Guidepost report, we need to know more about FBC Woodstock’s City of Refuge and NAMB’s support for it: Was ‘moral failures’ code for sexual abuse?
This May, the Southern Baptist Convention felt shockwaves when a nearly 300-page report was published by a third-party investigative firm documenting systematic coverups of sexual abuse within the denomination. In the report, former SBC President Johnny Hunt was accused of…
Forsaking Baal for the God who is in recovery
“As much as any other voice in Scripture, Hosea fulfills the child’s dictum, (and) when told that no one knows what God looks like, responds, ‘They will when I finish.’ When Hosea has finished his sketch, we have a full…
Thomas Merton, Martin Luther King and Critical Race Theory
Opponents of teaching Critical Race Theory in U.S. classrooms allege that it indoctrinates impressionable students and, worse, makes them feel responsible for past injustices they had no part in. Much time is devoted to such indictments and to efforts to…
What evangelicals won’t tell you about the actual sin of Sodom
Now that the Supreme Court has outlawed abortion, some politicians can’t wait to start the campaign to take away other rights, especially gay rights. The ruling on abortion was not yet dry on the page before Justice Clarence Thomas voiced…
Giving birth in prison: The grief of separation, the grace of presence
Conversations are happening across the nation. Stories are being told and voices are crying out for compassionate and competent health care for women who need abortions. But do we really know much about these women? What will become of them?…
Dear Denny Burk, your view of gender is not biblical, it is dangerous
In a 2019 talk given at Compass Bible Church in Aliso Viejo, Calif., Denny Burk spoke about how “unbiblical” it is to state that one’s brain is experiencing a disconnect with their bodily gender, but then cited Genesis 1:26-28 as…
Roger Williams, the father of American deconstruction
If Roger Williams is remembered at all, it’s as a champion of church-state separation. In addition, a steadily declining circle of progressive Baptists honor the founder of Rhode Island as the original American Baptist. Both perceptions are a bit off-target….
Why I’m an LGBTQ ally who won’t boycott Chick-fil-A
There’s a new set of alarming memes going around social media warning of the dangers of eating at Chick-fil-A. According to one, to eat a single golden waffle fry is to betray the entire LGBTQ community. It is a “test”…
Do the arts in church still matter?
Recently our daughter, Meredith, texted us a picture of two watercolors painted by our 7-year old grandson, Elijah. He has been watching his mother learn to use watercolors, and he wanted to try his hand. He traced the outline and…
When Christianity becomes toxic ‘Christianism’
Many people appear baffled about the hard-right turn in U.S. conservative religion. It’s not just a turn to politics, or to hard-right politics, that is problematic. It is the apparent amorality, the cruelty, bigotry and snarling spirit that is so…