During my brief time in office, a fringe group of radical Islamic extremists pushed for various state legislatures to enact bills that would enforce Sharia Law. I signed a petition against it. Today, a fringe group of radical Christian extremists…
A Christian call to confront the silence of the Gaza genocide
In our age of advanced technology, where global connections are just a click away, a desperate cry echoes from the Gaza Strip — a cry from a land enduring the weight of more than 57 years of Israeli occupation and…
Letter to the Editor: Where do ‘we’ go?
Dear Editor: Where do “we” go? Where do “we” fit in? Is there a place for us? Those of us who do believe strongly in the sanctity of human life and that abortion goes against God’s commands, but do not…
Regarding election 2024: Eight things I see
After a tumultuous and fascinating two months in American politics, here are some things I see as this election year moves into its final stretch. After the June presidential debate, Joe Biden’s candidacy was doomed. He was right to drop…
We cannot benevolence our way out of problems we’ve injusticed our way into
Last week, I was invited to serve on a panel of Little Rock clergy to mobilize pastors, churches and citizens to engage the political process and vote. Here’s what I said about why Christian people should engage the political process….
Why Christians should support reproductive justice, including abortion access
“Reproductive justice” is a term coined by Black women activists in the 1990s to recognize the intersections of race, class, sexuality, nation and gender in reproductive health and decision-making. SisterSong, an organization that fights for reproductive justice, defines the term…
My long farewell to the evangelical church
Many years ago, I served as an adjunct professor of worship and preaching at a Baptist seminary. One day, as I prepared for an upcoming class, I went to a photocopy shop and begin copying large numbers of worship bulletins and…
Reflections from the Baptist Scholars International Roundtable at Oxford
One of my struggles as a Ph.D. student is finding spaces where I can gather with other students and professors to have long-format discussions about my ideas, work and hunches. Many times, the pressure of the hustle and bustle of…
Here’s what’s wrong with the SBC’s trustee system
Every problem facing the Southern Baptist Convention, every new crisis and scandal and reported financial irregularity, can be reduced to a single and seemingly insoluble root cause: a bloated trustee system that is outdated, inefficient, unmanageable and hopelessly beset by…