One enduring feature of Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which distinguishes these branches from Protestantism in all its forms, is the veneration of Christian saints. This practice, which is extremely well documented in late antiquity and beyond, seemed to…
JD Vance would deny immigrants emergency care
JD Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019 and went on to be critiqued by the last two popes on his stance of immigration. Vance, it seems, does not let the disapproval of the pope keep him from still claiming his…
What it should take for Trump to get the Nobel Peace Prize
The man who occupies a solemn office, who bears an honorable title, but whom a court of law has declared a convict on 34 counts of fraud and whom another court has declared to be a sexual offender, may have…
Join the flotilla of God’s resistance
In the spirit of reading other people’s mail, specifically 2 Timothy 2:1-14, I present a letter to the faithful when it feels like the world is on fire. To the dearest faithful, blessed doubtful, foolishly hopeful, the ragamuffins and the…
Church-state separation and separating fact from fantasy
My granddaughter Zoey loves and reads fantasy. She loves tales of dragons, wizards and elves. Me, not so much. However, I am visiting my granddaughters and the adults who spawned them. Every grandparent understands that order. My visit coincides with…
A letter to the broken beloved: Let’s talk about godliness
If you are a fire-baptized, Holy Ghost-filled disciple whose deepest allegiance is to Jesus Christ, then we need to talk as adopted brothers and sisters of every tribe, tongue, nation, race, language and ethnicity, who strive to worship God in…
Dear white evangelicals, I was wrong
I need to offer a full apology to white evangelicals. I was wrong. You were right. I make no excuses and offer no explanations or caveats. I wish I would have listened to you and taken your warnings seriously. The…
How evangelicalism’s theology of victory erases lament
When Erika Kirk stood before thousands at her husband’s funeral and declared forgiveness for his killer, the crowd rose in thunderous applause. Even those vehemently ideologically opposed to Charlie Kirk and his ilk called it “an incredible act of grace.”…
An open letter to my mentor, Gina M. Stewart
Look at what the Lord has done. In 1995, with uncertainty and holy boldness, you answered God’s call to serve as pastor of your home church. In doing so, you became the first African-American female to lead an established Black…
Cancel church for ice and snow, not ICE and shootings
Mass shootings will outnumber snowstorms this year. That sentence hurts to write; may it haunt us. The decision to cancel church for inclement weather involves the complex interaction of values — safety vs. commitment; feelings — fear of injury vs….
Why I am not without hope for Sarah Mullally
My phone immediately blew up with text notifications when Sarah Mullally was named the 106th archbishop of Canterbury late last week. “Did you hear?” and “Can you believe it?” became a common refrain. My personal favorite — “BOOM” — accompanied…
Here’s why yesterday’s Supreme Court hearing matters
Around this time last year, Living Hope Ministries was preparing for a 35th anniversary of its work. The organization sprung out of First Baptist Church of Arlington, Texas, and according to its website, its mission is “to proclaim God’s truth…