On Halloween, ICE agents carried out a number of raids in and around Chicagoland — including in Evanston, home of Lake Street Church, an Alliance of Baptist congregation. In response, Lake Street’s senior pastor, Michael Woolf, joined protests at the…
People of faith should lead the way in protecting the planet
World leaders, scientists, activists and many others are gathered in Brazil for the COP30 conference to set international goals and policies to mitigate the danger of unchecked global climate change. As a participant in many of these meetings throughout the…
Religious freedom and dignity for prisoners at US Supreme Court
Religious freedom is for everyone. That’s a promise — as well as a calling for us today — straight out of our country’s flawed but hopeful “history and tradition” that the current U.S. Supreme Court keeps emphasizing. If we want…
Render unto Caesar?
The U.S. Treasury Department has announced plans to celebrate the country’s 250th anniversary in 2026 with a one-dollar coin depicting President Donald Trump. In a draft rendering, he appears alone on the obverse and on the reverse, his fist is…
Let justice roll down like sandwiches
“Jurors Say Baloney to Claim that Sandwich Hurler Tried to Harm Federal Agent” That’s how The New York Times introduced a report detailing the government case against Sean C. Dunn, age 37, a former paralegal in the Department of Justice…
Why I missed the luncheon
Today, I was supposed to attend a luncheon celebrating passage of “Trey’s Law” in Texas and Missouri this year. Instead, I was trapped in a Dallas County courtroom on a panel of potential jurors for a child sexual abuse case….
A call to servant leadership in a nation that has forgotten its people
A historic government shutdown is taking a toll on Americans in a myriad of ways. Perhaps among the cruelest is the federal government’s refusal to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as SNAP, which more than 42 million Americans…
Surviving white terror in the age of Trump and Miller
Over the past four weeks, I’ve remained close to home, venturing out only when Brad accompanies me. I’ve avoided meeting friends at coffee shops — spaces where ICE has targeted African Americans and immigrant communities. My doctoral work has been…
Who is the true proletarian?
Last month marked the 30-year anniversary of the O.J. Simpson trial verdict. Simpson was acquitted of murder charges related to the killing of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. This verdict is remembered for the starkly different reactions it triggered…
Gerrymandering the gospel
Two recent news stories caught my attention. The first was about the ongoing gerrymandering fight in Texas, and California’s counter-response through Proposition 50, which passed with strong support. Gerrymandering — manipulating district boundaries to give one group a political advantage — has…
‘Insert God here’
As a kid, I attended two elementary schools, three junior high schools and two high schools. Picture me this way: Scrawny, acne-faced, frizzy haired, shy. It is hard enough to make friends when you are 13; imagine always being the…
The only thing we have to fear …
The problem with fear is it can be a situationally appropriate emotion that triggers hyper alertness or an emotion irrationally stoked for malevolent ends. This is where we are today as a nation and as a society. And more than…