“Being gay is not a superpower,” one person wrote on social media. Immediately, my heart sank. Although I was still catching up on Stranger Things episodes, my gut told me we were on the precipice of yet another conservative panic attack over…
Jesus the asylum-seeker: A visit to the Church of Abu Sirga
A year ago, I traveled to Egypt with 12 other pilgrims from Wake Forest University School of Divinity to learn about the country’s rich religious history. Our mostly Christian group spent much of our time learning about religions other than…
We need to learn again from the Black Church tradition
Growing up, my parents — Evangelist Idella Cora Thomas and Leonard Thomas — guided me spiritually. They emphasized the importance of spiritual discernment in navigating the world and advocating for justice. They wanted me to understand where evil lurks within…
Before you celebrate Maduro’s capture, consider this
Two things can be true at the same time. It is true that Nicolás Maduro is a criminal and a thug and murderer and stole an election. It is also true that Donald Trump is a convicted felon whose actions…
Welcome to the Radical Leftist Scum Club
Costco at lunchtime is an experience like no other. You need to taste and see for yourself how good it is. Motorists brush bumpers backing in and out of parking spaces while weaving through the sea of pedestrians dragging 65″…
While food rots in warehouses, thousands die
It has been reported that USAID food designated for distribution sits in warehouses that charge a $10,000 per day storage fee and that more than 700,000 people have died thus far as a result of the cuts made by the…
A new year of being light and love
The message of stars — so far away, or are they? Stars draw us to the light in dark days, especially now. Exchanging letters, cards and words of hope means more than ever. I’d like to share some creative thoughts…
Without local journalism, accountability falters
I have profound respect for good journalism, especially from small-town newspapers. I spent a good portion of my early career in the industry doing ad sales, then transitioned to writing and eventually management. Today, my column is sent to publications…
The uninvited guest
Grief is most unwelcome when it arrives unannounced. Neither our lack of invitation nor our lack of preparation discourages it. It is the unforeseen guest at the family gathering, barging in unbidden and heralded by tears. Yet, grief serves a…
What’s the difference between the Kennedy Center and a wedding cake?
So, what’s the difference between the Kennedy Center and a wedding cake? The First Amendment rights of wedding cake decorators are more secure than those of the center’s performing artists. Let me explain. In the same week President Donald Trump…
Trump’s Nigeria strikes: A misleading narrative
On Christmas Day, President Donald Trump announced the United States had launched airstrikes in Sokoto State in Northwestern Nigeria “to protect the country’s Christian population from the terrorist group (ISIS).” Although Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry acknowledged collaboration with the U.S., many…
Remembering Stephanie
On the third Sunday in Advent in 1991, as we returned home from Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., 16-year-old Stephanie Erin Leonard announced to us: “I think it’s time for me to be baptized.” It was the first…