With the news of so many tragic events over the past few weeks, I have been struck by the thread that seems to run through so much of the carnage-filled images continuously in the media. The interviews from mass shootings…
Franklin Graham says he’s not a preacher of hate, so let’s roll the tape and see
I have a couple of questions for Franklin Graham. For years I have granted him a sort of “don’t criticize” card because of my respect for his father, Billy Graham. But as Franklin has become more and more political and…
Mass shootings, DNA swabs and gospel triage: America 2022
Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?” And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my Lord burn hot; you know the people, that they…
In the gun violence debate, let’s stop scapegoating mental illness
In the book of Leviticus, we read these instructions to the high priest regarding the day of atonement: Then Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities of…
Letter to the Editor: It’s time for the SBC to have a funeral
June 8, 2022 Letter to the Editor Dear Editor: The only honorable thing to do at this point for the Southern Baptist Convention is to bury it. Have a funeral. No, really. Have an actual funeral with songs of lament,…
You can(’t) go home again
A trip home to be with family in the face of an illness gave an interesting lens to the dynamics of return. Then on the heels of that, the memorial service of a formative ministry figure called the writer also…
In response to Uvalde, the church can learn from the murder of George Floyd
May 25 was the two-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. It’s a date that can easily slip our minds, especially with the more recent stories of horror that have captivated our attention. In the month leading up to…
My story of being trans and the conservative Baptist school that made me that way
Catchy headline, right? You may be asking how it was possible that a trans person could even begin to thank a conservative Christian university. No, this is not another piece on how conservative evangelical Christianity made my life so bad…
Letter to the Editor: SBC should not repeat the mistake of the 1997 Disney boycott
June 7, 2022 Letter to the Editor Dear Editor: As a Southern Baptist minister for 40-plus years, I have been privileged to align myself with the beliefs, doctrines and cultural mandates for all Southern Baptists and Christians living in today’s…
There are many more sexual abuse stories to be told from the SBC, and this is one of them
Note: The following opinion piece includes detailed descriptions of sexual assault. These past two weeks have been, to borrow a phrase from Russell Moore, an “apocalypse” for the Southern Baptist Convention. On May 22, an independent Sexual Abuse Task Force…
What Southern Baptists must do now to address clergy sex abuse
Editor’s note: After this article was published, the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force pulled its June 1 set of recommendations from the website. Those recommendations eventually were replaced by an updated document June 8 that now exists in the same…
Meet the Mama Bears, who give away hugs and hope
A new documentary titled Mama Bears directed by Daresha Kyi has started sweeping the nation. Premiering at film festivals from coast to coast (and winning many awards along the way) this 90-minute film features three stories that encapsulate the heart…