When the Southern Baptist Convention meets next week in Dallas, many clergy sex abuse survivors will feel the hurt and betrayal of it. This will be the first SBC annual meeting since Executive Committee President Jeff Iorg made it clear…
New US travel ban will harm The United Methodist Church
President Donald Trump’s announced travel ban will harm members of The United Methodist Church and its far-flung ministries significantly if allowed to stand. According to the newsletter 1440: “Countries whose foreign nationals will be banned are Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad,…
I’m a Christian teacher who opposes posting the Ten Commandments
Eleven years ago, I began my career as a high school English teacher at a school smack dab in the middle of the Bible Belt. It was the same sort of school that would be required to display the Ten…
A word for the church in a time of collapse
In 2021, I published “The Fight for the Soul of America,” an op-ed warning that our country was not simply in political turmoil — it was in spiritual crisis. Four years later, that warning has proved tragically prescient. Today, I…
Tulsa takes a historic step
Tulsa, Okla. — once infamous for the 1921 Greenwood Massacre — is now taking bold steps toward something America has delayed far too long: reparations for Black Americans. And that’s a good thing. A very good thing. The announcement of…
What Joni Ernst doesn’t understand about heaven
Growing up, my family played a game. It’s a game that today drives my wife crazy. “You all speak in movie quotes,” she says. “Who does that?” We do. I do. For as long as I can remember, we’ve performed…
For evangelical churches left behind, it’s a four-alarm fire; for women leaving, it’s freedom
Young adult women are leaving churches in droves, as recent studies show. If you’re part of the evangelical world, as I was for more than a decade, you can see and feel it happening. If you aren’t, recent articles like Ruth Graham’s…
The Tony Awards: Who does God want to win?
Enough with the debates over who will win and who should win at Sunday night’s Tony Awards. People of faith ask, “Who does God want to win?” Yes, some might argue God has more important things to care about than…
Active fatherhood prevents violence and saves lives
As Father’s Day approaches, we’ll soon be inundated with gauzy images of fathers and sons playing baseball and dads taking their daughters to work. It’s wonderful to celebrate the paternal bond as a feel-good Hallmark holiday. However, as an expert…
Take more photos, make more memories
At a funeral for a 92-year-old man this week, I was struck by the family photos scrolling by in the pre-service slide show. I’ve seen hundreds of these slide shows before, but this one jumped out at me. The deceased…
Presidential pardons: From prisoners to political supporters
Presidential pardons have long sparked debate in American politics, often reflecting the values and priorities of the leader in office. But under President Donald Trump, the use of this constitutional power has taken on a new dimension that blurs the…
Where’s Franklin Graham?
After a starring role in the sequel to Donald Trump’s return to power, Franklin Graham is mainly missing from the cameras. Or so it seems. The latest we’ve heard from Graham, he was named to serve on the president’s Religious…