Editor’s note: As the article below indicates, BNG previously published an article the author here took extreme issue with. In fairness, we hear his perspective on the larger issue at hand. Our intent is to illustrate the great differences of…
A quiet call to national repentance
Cruelty is a sin. That such a self-evident truth might need to be said out loud never had occurred to me until recently; my own nation’s current campaign of cruelty against migrating people prompting me to say what should go…
Why we cannot disengage from local politics
Elections have consequences. Unhinged and capitalistic leadership can lead to rumors of war, separation of families and reckless decisions that entangle people who never should have been involved in the first place. We are living on the brink of an…
Interpreting the present time
Note: This sermon was preached Aug. 16 at the “From Seminary to Society: Journeys of Legacy, Loss and Hope” reunion of graduates and former faculty members of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, hosted by Wake Forest University School of Divinity. The sermon…
The attempted deportation of a Baptist hero, Roger Williams
In February 1631, the ship Lyon arrived in Boston harbor, carrying a group of migrants seeking to escape religious and political oppression suffered in England. Among them was Roger Williams. His migrant status didn’t end with his arrival in Boston,…
What they’ve gained
Every time we report on another atrocity committed by President Donald Trump and his administration, people ask why evangelicals continue to support the cruelty and criminality of Trump’s dictates. As our Maina Mwaura wrote today, Trump clearly is not a…
The president isn’t ‘born again’
If President Donald Trump truly were a Christian, he would not have said what he said on Fox and Friends this morning. Trump called into his favorite show to talk about his policy regarding Ukraine and Russia. Then, prompted by…
Letter to the editor: How to respond to our national losses
Dear Editor: Many of us have been moving through the various grief responses to witnessing the stunning loss of our country’s generosity and compassion. Granger Westberg, MD, years ago was one of the first pioneers in relational studies of religion…
6 books that push back against black-and-white narratives of faith
When I left full-time ministry nearly 15 years ago, I remember feeling stymied by all the unread books on my shelf. I wanted to pick up a book, and while the shelf boasted plenty of Christian books to choose from,…
Rated “J” for Jesus: A box office blasphemy
In the global capitals of cinema — Hollywood in the United States, Bollywood in India, and Nollywood in Nigeria — one name crosses genres, crosses cultures and crosses continents. It’s not the name of a starlet, a mogul, or a…
A registered sex offender is on White House fitness council
On July 31, President Donald Trump signed an executive order reviving the Presidential Fitness Test and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. The executive order explains: “For far too long, the physical and mental health of the American…
The betrayal of a historic wisdom
For decades, there was a historic wisdom in the connectionalism and autonomy of local churches within Southern Baptist life. That wisdom is evident in the way local churches have related to one another — fostering friendships, camaraderie and mutual support….