On October 7, 2023, Hamas — elected to power in 2006 — launched a major attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, firing thousands of rockets and sending fighters across the border. The assault targeted Israeli towns and army bases near…
Just me, a pink float and the River of God
For the past few months, I’ve been framing my spiritual life — really, my spiritual health — with a specific image: I am floating down the river of God’s work in the world on a bright pink float that, for…
Language and politics
This year, 2025, is the 100th anniversary of T. S. Eliot’s poem The Hollow Men, first published in 1925. World War I had ended seven years earlier, in 1918. The next year, the Treaty of Versailles was signed, and in…
The oppressor-oppressed lenses offer a truncated view of the world
The experience of injustice is powerful. It leaves an indelible imprint on many parts of our personalities and communities. This is bound to influence significantly how we experience and think about life. And, of course, it has a major impact…
God and the algorithm: How the manosphere co-opts religion
From prayer to propaganda, about a dozen anti-government Christian nationalist militias are using popular online platforms like Instagram to recruit young men through fitness reels, tactical gear and overt religious symbolism. This is just one example of how some online communities use…
All the bright lines behind us
Like some of you, I’ve spent the last two weeks participating in services marking the Jewish High Holidays, which mark the end of one year and the beginning of the next. My status as a Christian participant observer to the…
Trump’s attack on universities violates religious freedom
The Trump Educational Compact is an attack on the free exercise of progressive religion. In its typical divide-and-conquer approach, the administration has informed nine colleges and universities they will suffer financial consequences if they do not bow down and meet…
In conversation with Leyla K. King
Leyla King is a Palestinian American Episcopal priest who serves as the canon for mission in small congregations for the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. In her book Daughters of Palestine: A Memoir in Five Generations, she writes with skill…
How Charlie Kirk mastered the illusion of stump debates
Charlie Kirk did not invent the method of traveling “stump debates” or campus spectacles; that tradition reaches back centuries. But he did master a modern version of it by bullying underprepared college kids rather than engaging seasoned orators, scholars or…
Why fundamentalist men won’t stop the abuse of women
“She had it coming.” Those were the words a relative said to the television as the anchor finished his report some years ago about a sexual abuse football scandal at Baylor University. Tevin Elliot, Baylor’s star linebacker, had been accused…
The bizarre story of Doug Wilson attempting to buy Christianity Today
In one of the most truly bizarre stories of the week, Julie Roys reported yesterday that Doug Wilson’s Canon Press attempted to buy Christianity Today for $10 million. To which my first response was: “How did Doug Wilson come up…
Sorry, Secretary Hegseth, ‘Jesus don’t like killing’
In my younger days, I listened to a lot of music. Being of the rock ‘n roll generation, music was a defining part of our society. A personal favorite of mine was and is country rocker John Prine, whose observations…