I got goaded into riding a drop tower while visiting an amusement park in Orlando. “Oh, come on. … It will be fun!” they said. The higher the gondola went up in the air, the more angst I experienced. One…
‘Have you heard the one about …?’
Three women — a Catholic, a Methodist and a Baptist — stepped up to the bar. The bar was not “The Idle Hour,” “Joe’s Bar & Grill” or any liquor establishment. It was the bar of law before which legal…
On Nex Benedict, invisible students, Easter Sunday and Trans Day of Visibility
Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary student from Owasso, Okla., died Feb. 7. The cause of death remains undetermined. While tragic that a teen died, many fail to see the significance of what occurred. The focus of numerous reports centers on…
If faith were a movie
Next Sunday evening, along with millions of others around the globe, I will watch the Academy Awards. I’ve not missed one in 40 years. Since three of my major interests are theology, writing and movies, I decided to do a…
Conservatives’ agenda for America is starting to read like my Bob Jones University student handbook
Perusing the news is beginning to feel like reading my Bob Jones University handbook a quarter century ago. Every page unveils another clutching of control that mortifies and confounds until the reader doesn’t know whether to laugh, cry or rage….
Walking a mile in worn-down shoes: A look at wealth disparity
Greed is defined as “a selfish and excessive desire for more of something than is needed.” While it’s true the wealthiest among us have no significant impact on your financial status, as someone once said, “Poverty exists not because we…
What not to do if there are queer folks in your church (and there are)
There are queer folks in my church. I worship with them every Sunday. There are queer folks in your church too, whether you know it or not. That’s just how statistics work. More often than not, however, these beloved siblings…
IVF, CPAC and MAGA: Christian nationalism erupts to the surface
FEBRUARY 16 The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created for in vitro fertilization are children. The court arrived at that decision by combining the logic of the June 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, which…
Three cheers for Baylor honoring Brittney Griner, but the game is not yet won
Brittney Griner’s story continues to transcend women’s basketball. It is a morality play for our times. The good news is that on Sunday, Feb. 18, Baylor University retired Griner’s No. 42 jersey. She was present for the ceremony in Waco,…