As I was watching my grandson play baseball a couple of weeks back, I spotted the following on the back of an acquaintance’s T-shirt: “The Constitution does not need to be rewritten; it needs to be re-read.” I thought to…
The cat ladies are with her
The last couple of weeks of U.S. politics has taken us on a ride. From an assassination attempt to pressure for the long-time statesman President Joe Biden to relinquish his re-election campaign, to the announcement of JD Vance as the…
Biden and Trump are poor choices, but there is a better one
Editor’s note: This column was written on July 20, one day before President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race. The Democratic and Republican parties have served up two poor choices to American voters as the 2024 presidential…
Did God protect Donald Trump?
Immediately after the horrific assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, some people of faith began claiming God protected him. For example, Franklin Graham unequivocally pronounced, “God spared his life.” But that popular affirmation raises difficult questions, which even Graham…
Franklin Graham is the poster child for Christian nationalism — and he’s a liar
To understand the insidious nature of Christian nationalism, look no further than Franklin Graham’s appearance at the Republican National Convention last night. Graham already has demonstrated he knows no shame in endorsing, blessing and lionizing the most corrupt president in…
On being a post-evangelical, ecumenical church in the Baptist tradition
Now that headline is a mouthful, but it feels like a way forward for congregational life today. That may be too many labels. The story is told of a rancher in Texas showing a friend his huge spread which combined…
Geezers vs. youngsters: The battle heats up
Joe Biden, 81 and alarmingly feeble, refuses, at least for the moment, to pass the torch of presidential leadership to a younger Democrat. Meanwhile, the possible reelection of convicted felon Donald Trump, 78 and barely rational, looms like a doomsday…
Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Charlie Bell
Earlier this year, I had the great opportunity to get to know Charlie Bell, who is a forensic psychiatrist, the John Marks Fellow at Girton College Cambridge, a priest in the Church of England, and scholar in residence at the…
‘You can’t forget history you never knew’
On July 2, I was on a Zoom gathering for a discussion of the new book by Brian Kaylor and Beau Underwood: Baptizing America, How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism. During the discussion, one of the authors observed that…