A short sentence has echoed through my adult life, and it rings truer now than it did 46 years ago. “Faith is relationship,” Clint Dunagan told a room full of Hardin-Simmons University freshmen in the spring of 1976. We learned…
White liberation: Toward a theology of recognition and repentance
Over the past month, I’ve had the great gift and responsibility of traveling the country talking to primarily white Christians about racism in the church and in America. At Trinity Church, Wall Street, America’s wealthiest congregation, I shared some of…
Baseball is teaching my grandchildren how to cheer for others
My heart jumped into my mouth as my adult son, Doug, began to unwrap the baseball supplies he had purchased for his son, Harris, ahead of the beginning of his first T-ball season. Spilling from the plastic bags were tiny…
The slap heard ’round the world
Sunday night, there was a slap that should be heard around the world. Before some of you tune out, let me issue some disclaimers. I am aware that some will feel obligated to feign disinterest at anything happening within the…
Six times when it’s better for a Christian to stay silent
Let’s face it. Christians don’t have a great reputation in the larger community. This wasn’t always the case but increasingly seems to be the norm. When people encounter a Christian, they instinctively raise their protective shields. Why is that? A…
Interest in choral singing is not declining in America, so why are church choirs disappearing?
Chorus America, a nationally known advocacy, research and leadership development organization that supports the choral arts, has written much on the benefits of singing. Most recently, an article came out in June 2019 that lauds the benefits of singing for…
My beef with the Senate confirmation hearings isn’t political, it’s theological
I try to stay abreast of current news, believing that Karl Barth’s admonition is a good measure for all who dare to claim time in any Christian pulpit. Barth is often quoted as having said that ministers should “preach with…
The bigotry on display in the confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is nothing new
In recent days we have witnessed unprecedented evidence of bigotry and violence. Bear with me while I mention some of the more obvious examples. Start with the abuse and disrespect Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson experienced last week from Republican members…
What is a woman?
Late Tuesday of this week, Sen. Marsha Blackburn asked Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to define “woman.” Everyone watching the Supreme Court nominee’s confirmation hearings knew it was a loaded question. Judge Jackson stated that she wasn’t a biologist and did…
Where I found acceptance as a woman, others now find rejection
I was sitting at a table on the first floor of the library at Hardin-Simmons University when a fellow classmate from Logsdon School of Theology approached me with a smile. He sat down across from me and slid the rough…
We need to talk about Voddie … and fast
I’ve learned recently that the value of a disagreement in 2022 is fairly low, nearly completely devoid of any real value at all. This is due mostly to the constant stream of information for which we are able to, and…
Three cheers for Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb
In a sign that sanity is possible amid today’s culture wars, the Republican governors of Utah and Indiana this week vetoed mean-spirited bills passed by their legislatures to address a fake crisis about transgender student athletes. This year already is…