Until this week, I didn’t know I had something in common with Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for U.S. president. In our time, we’ve both been labeled Jezebel. “Jezebel” has been the name for so many women whom…
Our most basic freedom — deciding one’s own religion
My most recent column was on Christian nationalism and the threat that movement poses to religious freedom. Some would say that is our most basic freedom — to make our own way through the thicket of religions that clamor for…
Reflections upon agrarian/poet/activist Wendell Berry’s 90th birthday
My mother-in-law loves me. I know I’m in her good graces, and she considers me part of her family. I can testify to such assurance because she lavishes me with her chosen form of affection. Her delivery method? Arguing. She’ll…
Passing the mantle: Lessons for today’s leadership transitions
Leadership transitions are critical occasions that call for insight, humility and wisdom. The choice to relinquish power and hand it to a successor has a big impact on continuity and legacy, whether it’s in politics, ministry or any other institution….
A week at Chautauqua has me pondering the future of the Protestant Mainline
I was fussing over a jigsaw puzzle when somebody turned on the Biden-Trump debate. As the combatants droned on in the background, my attention remained firmly fixed on the task before me. It was all birds and foliage. A thousand…
Church/state mandates then and now: A tenuous freedom
Church/state mandates began early in the American colonies. On July 19, 1651, three Baptists — John Clarke, Obadiah Holmes and John Crandall — traveled from Newport, R.I., to Lynn, Mass., and the home of William Witter, who requested their visit…
Vital life lessons learned on the Camino de Santiago
“Buen Camino.” This is the phrase every pilgrim uses on the Camino de Santiago — a 500-mile spiritual pilgrimage in Spain — when walking past another pilgrim. Considering my walking pace was slower than everyone else’s, I often heard, “Buen…
Christian Zionism: the blind spot in faith-based activism against Christian nationalism
Christian nationalism in the United States seems more alive than ever. Project 2025 threatens to erode the separation of church and state, Donald Trump is hailed as a messiah following his assassination attempt, and at the state level, Ten Commandments…
At Wild Goose Festival, ‘I found my flock’
Attending the 2024 Wild Goose Festival at Van Hoy Farms in Harmony, N.C., was a first for me. Even though I’d heard about the annual gathering of progressive post-evangelicals, I really did not know what to expect. However, as David…