Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and his husband, author Chasten Buttigieg, married in 2018 and have been wanting to become parents for a while. The excitement and joy they felt as they anticipated becoming parents were similar to what other…
Is it time to separate church and social media like we have separated church and state?
This summer, Elizabeth Dias, who covers faith and politics for the New York Times, wrote an article titled “Facebook’s Next Target: The Religious Experience.” Published July 25, it chronicled Facebook’s efforts to partner with a wide range of faith communities…
Southern Baptists, attorney-client privilege, and devotion to empire
Unlike many who read Baptist News Global, I hold no nostalgic memories and feelings for the Southern Baptist Convention. I regard the SBC as an institution conceived, birthed and used to associate the gospel of Jesus with white supremacy from…
Seven things white Christians can do to address white supremacy at church
Since my book White Too Long came out in the summer of 2020, amid nationwide Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with dozens of predominantly white congregations and denominational…
Let’s stop the average Sunday attendance freak out
Remember “average Sunday attendance”? If you are the lucky one in your church who completes forms to send to your denomination, you recognize this metric. During the modern era (up to around the year 2000), this metric was a fairly…
The Delta variant is raging in Eastern Kentucky because of historic injustices
A teacher at a local high school who hadn’t turned 30. A minister who helped baptize my Pap. And just last week my Pap’s brother-in-law Bill, who had the friendliest smile you’d ever seen. Each of them, and many more…
Fall lessons on life and faith from the history of the apple
Hello, fall — season of planting trees, learning, road trips and comfort cooking. Coming to a community near you, it paints the trees in colorful splendor and invites us all to enjoy the earth’s bounty of fruits and vegetables. Traveling…
On National Coming Out Day 2021: ‘Here I am, Lord’
Have you experienced life as a child of God who identifies as a homosexual? I have. What follows is only a small part of my story which is, admittedly, intensely personal. But that’s OK. I am ready to tell you…
Apocalypse now? If only it were that easy!
I was scared; 16 years old and scared. Jesus Christ was going to return at any moment, and I was scared. It was the last night of church camp, and the preacher had practically promised that Jesus Christ would return…
Listen for a change
White guys sporting ball caps and goatees, driving loud pickup trucks. You know the type. They’re everywhere, especially in the South. They get on my nerves, bigtime. Lately, I’ve found myself assuming they’re all obnoxious Trumpers — and probably racist…
Not your typical Pastor Appreciation Month
I confess, I haven’t given too much thought to Pastor Appreciation Month in years past. Most of my career was spent as part of vocational ministerial teams in local congregations. Asking for “appreciation” for oneself is certainly not apropos. Truth…
10 ways to appreciate clergy this month
For me, ministry is the family business. I am an ordained Baptist minister. Married to an ordained Baptist minister. My grandfather was a pastor, my dad is a pastor, my sister is a pastor. The rhythms and the risks of…