The four of us have watched with dismay as Southern Baptist Convention officials repeatedly proclaim “progress” on sexual abuse reform while, at the same time, taking 10 steps backward. They bail with a thimble — and make a show of…
Israel’s war on Gaza and occupation policies are quietly erasing Christian culture and presence this holy season
While all eyes are on Gaza, Israel’s occupation policies continue to quietly erase the presence and identity of ancient Christian communities of the Holy Land. Israeli policies limit the ability of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to access ancient…
Two things can be true at the same time
In case you missed the controversy, Easter Sunday and Transgender Day of Visibility fell on the same day this year. Oh, the horrors! Conservative evangelicals — many of whom who believe transgender identity is not a real thing — saw…
Wrestling with the reality of sexual abuse in the Easter story in Surviving God
In their new book, Surviving God: A New Vision of God Through the Eyes of Sexual Abuse Survivors, Grace Ji-Sun Kim and Susan Shaw offer a feminist and intersectional understanding of God that challenges traditional ways of Christian thinking. Kim…
The last word is hope
One of the most important things I learned over four decades of ministry is that hope saves people’s lives. Hope saves them spiritually, emotionally, relationally and sometimes even physically. People hope for many things. They hope for forgiveness, reconciliation, healing….
Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde
Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde has been the Episcopal bishop of Washington, D.C., since 2011. She has discussed faith and politics on PBS NewsHour, Meet the Press, Good Morning America, and the Today show, and is the author of several books,…
Weeping with Daughter Zion
Maybe you’ve seen the social media meme. Hundreds of old-timey cars are parked willy-nilly on the lawn of an old country church. The faithful are streaming into the sanctuary. “Back in the day,” the caption reads, “everyone went to church…
Trump the blasphemer: During Holy Week, Trump compares himself to Jesus and hawks a white Christian nationalist Bible
For the approximately two-thirds of Americans who identify as Christian, this is Holy Week, a solemn time of participation in worship services that encourage reflection and repentance ahead of the resurrection celebrated on the holiest day on the Christian calendar, Easter…
At the Cross: What I see
The Lenten season has been especially intense for me this year on a spiritual level. I have sought to follow its rhythms, demands and opportunities from Ash Wednesday until now, Holy Week. Each day I have read the Mass readings…