Night owl that I am, these thoughts began composing in my mind at the stroke of midnight, just as the U.S. government closed (many of) its doors. I began imagining the anxiety, even panic, hundreds of thousands of federal employees…
Why Trump has a National Police Force
In a previous column, I reported how President Donald Trump is under water on public approval ratings, showing the lowest first July approval rating of any president in the modern era. Today, six weeks later, he’s still under water. Donald…
Why Doug Wilson is wrong about women’s rights and the 19th Amendment
Should the 19th amendment, which gave women in the United States the right to vote, be repealed? A growing movement of American evangelicals think so. For example, in recent months, Doug Wilson, a controversial pastor based in Moscow, Idaho, and…
The early church would be shocked we’ve stopped feeding the hungry
Churches get reputations. Some churches are known for their sense of community. Congregations that focus on friendship are fun — lots of parties, traditions and food. People in these churches tend to weigh more. We gain weight at potluck dinners….
Three ways Baylor has failed its students and the gospel
Under pressure from conservatives, Baylor University recently returned a $643,000 grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation for a project titled “Courage from the Margins,” designed to study how the church can be more welcoming to women and…
I was a stranger … and you took away my food and put me in prison
In Matthew 25, Jesus teaches about the final judgment of nations with words that should pierce our hearts today: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a…
Losing sight and learning to see the world
Losing sight is not just a physical experience — it reshapes the architecture of the inner world. For many, the moment vision begins to fade is not marked by darkness but by disorientation. The world doesn’t vanish; it becomes unfamiliar….
Hymns bear witness to faith and fear
Sitting and looking out on the frothy waves crashing on the rugged shoreline outside the window of our room at an inn in Depoe Bay, Oregon, these old words came to me: I was sinking deep in sin far from…
Why don’t white evangelicals listen to Black Christians?
As a Black Christian man, I have engaged white evangelicals in numerous discussions about the existence of racism within America and Christianity. These conversations have continued throughout my entire adult life. I have observed that many white evangelicals only listen…
Columbus Day: An ongoing threat to American democracy
Of the 12 federal holidays, Columbus Day is one of only three celebrating a person. Among that trinity, which includes the celebrations of the births of George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr., it remains peculiar. Unlike the first president…
Pregnancy as probable cause: Policing pregnant bodies
This past summer, two federal actions sent a similar menacing message. In Washington, D.C., the National Guard was deployed to remove unhoused people under the guise of “public safety.” Additionally, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced it will end abortion care for…
Hold your breath for health care
I’m sitting in a quiet waiting room, the kind that hums with fluorescent lights and faint disinfectant. No one else is here, but the TV is blasting an old episode of Chopped on The Food Network. The chefs are racing…