I had been a New Yorker for two days. At 5:15 on Monday afternoon, I told my wife, Carol, “I’m going to buy bagels.” This was the first time in my life I said, “I’m going to buy bagels.” I…
What I fear as a white woman married to a Black man
Conversations on race and racial justice in the United States have become so polarized that too often these discussions result in people talking at one another, and an invisible distance is created between “the issue” and the humans affected. Today,…
Mom shaming is getting worse during the pandemic
In conversations this week with both friends and clients, all of whom are professional working women, I’m hearing the same thing: It’s all about feeling shamed. As schools announce plans for the fall, working parents find themselves facing a buffet of…
My quest to find the word ‘homosexual’ in the Bible
I was born and raised in a Southern Baptist church by two incredibly amazing parents who dearly love the Lord. It was a great experience. I remember Sunday school and Training Union, contributing to Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong for…
Five ideas for pandemic praying
A young professional in my church recently reached out to me with some prayer concerns. As we talked on the phone, he searched for words. It turns out he was struggling with more than his prayer life; he was struggling…
Why we gather for in-person worship
We now have gathered for in-person worship for six Sundays after 15 weeks of online-only services. We recognize there are risks involved; we’re doing the best we can to mitigate those risks through the wearing of masks, practicing physical distancing…
In the United States, is it possible to be an honest and just person?
Any society, regardless of its character, teaches and encourages people to be honest and just. In Christianity, however, honesty and justice must be consciously practiced and cultivated; they are, at least theoretically, fundamental principles that should characterize those who have…
New book explores pain of preaching after a suicide in the congregation
In January 2009, I sat down at my desk to think about the upcoming season of Lent. I was the pastor at Wilton Baptist Church in Wilton, Conn. I had been there for just over two years but was the…
‘We are Cain’: Owning up to the reality of racism in America
Inside both the National Memorial for Peace and Justice visitor center and the Legacy Museum in downtown Montgomery, there is an installation composed of rows and rows of glass jars on wooden racks, containing soil samples from lynching sites. These…
America, these are self-inflicted wounds
The United States has now lost 150,000 people — almost three times the number of people we lost during the Vietnam War – due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is spreading unchecked across the nation. Meanwhile, national, state and…
Embracing technology prepared us in advance for COVID-19
During this pandemic, churches, schools and organizations have been forced to learn and use new approaches to worship, ministry and learning. We are creatures of habit, but habits can limit our perspective. As Baptist Seminary of Kentucky began offering theological…
History will judge both John Lewis and Donald Trump
The death of John Lewis has once again brought into sharp focus the stark differences between the congressman and the president. The future congressman was born as one of 10 children of Alabama sharecroppers Eddie and Willie Mae Carter Lewis….