The Trump administration is proposing a new rule that would tie the availability of Pell grants and student loans to the earning potential of degree programs. This proposal is beyond terrible for a multitude of reasons. First, it ignores the actual…
Some wounds are spiritual before they are emotional
There are nights in disaster shelters when the exhaustion becomes almost physical in the air. You can feel it hanging over rows of cots and folding chairs long after midnight. Volunteers move more slowly. Children finally fall asleep. Coffee grows…
One nation under which God?
On May 17, Donald Trump plans to “rededicate” America as one nation under God. The promotional material for the event says, “Rededicate 250 will gather a broad assembly of voices united by a love of God and country.” In fact,…
The dying art of parenting
I’m sitting at a sunroom table, my 84-year-old parents to my right and left. Dad just asked Mom, “Did you find my will in the safe deposit box?” She had. Moments ago, to make sure they had their bases covered,…
Jeff Landry’s ‘failed narrative’
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry recently dismissed the idea that racism remains structurally relevant in Louisiana politics, calling it a “failed narrative.” A failed narrative? In Louisiana? A state where African Americans make up nearly one-third of the population, yet political…
When government claims God
The semiquincentennial celebration unofficially kicks off this coming Sunday, May 17, on the National Mall. The Marine Band will play. Fanfare trumpets will sound across the Reflecting Pool. From a stage at 12th Street, top government officials — the secretary…
Camp safety can’t wait
On July 4, 2025, my 8-year-old daughter, Sarah, died in a catastrophic flood while attending Camp Mystic in Texas. Twenty-six other girls died alongside her. Like many parents, we trusted that when we sent our child to a summer camp…
How Nakba Day can help us understand Palestine
On May 15, thousands will gather at churches and mosques, on campuses and on streets throughout Chicago to observe a day most Americans never heard of. It’s called Nakba Day. The day commemorates the Zionist expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians from their…
The guardrails preserving our democracy
I want to consider some good news today. The good news is that certain cultural, political and legal guardrails are holding against Donald Trump and his government right now. I am not suggesting our democracy is in the clear. I…
A trans man and his Baptist pastor reflect on a decade of friendship
Ten years ago today, BNG published an article by Mark that opened the door to a friendship between us that spans a decade of tremendous change in American culture and politics. On May 13, 2016, BNG published Mark’s opinion piece…
How to survive a ‘skinny’ farm bill
Farmers eligible for USDA programs would reap the benefits of a “skinny” farm bill that recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives, extending government food security programs until 2031, increasing funding support for local food programs and loan borrower limits for producers,…
A sermon we’ll never forget
A few weeks ago, on the occasion of our church’s Children’s and Youth Sunday, I co-preached with a 10-year-old girl. She and I have known one another for a good long while now. I came to First Baptist on St….