Immigration and this administration’s handling of it don’t seem to go away. Recently, ICE agents unlawfully detained San Diego Padres catching coordinator Oswaldo Pirela, accusing him of unlawfully overstaying a visa. It seems like this sort of thing should not happen in…
You probably know a rapist
We talk often about how one out of every four undergraduate women is sexually assaulted during college. Everyone knows that statistic. And because everyone knows it, most of us are aware it is virtually impossible for someone not to know…
What’s this all about, Pete?
America may be entering one of the strangest intersections of warfare, technology, politics, masculinity and religion in modern history. On Sept. 30, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Pentagon will establish an Office of Religious Affairs reporting directly to him….
I understand what the Tompkins County DA apparently doesn’t
“Each time Jane Doe asked to stop the sexual conduct, the sexual conduct stopped.” That’s Matthew Van Houten, the Tompkins County district attorney, explaining why he didn’t charge anyone after a Cornell University student said seven fraternity brothers took part…
Now there’s another MAGA loyalty oath
When it comes to MAGA, there’s always another document to sign, another loyalty oath, another pledge of allegiance. Declaring MAGA purity underscores the anxiety always present in the movement. Sen. Josh Hawley, the latest MAGA darling, offers a Declaration of…
As you read about the Cornell Seven, remember Tamar
Seven men. One woman. And allegations so horrifying there is a temptation to look away. Don’t. Look closely, not only at the men accused, but at what this case reveals about the rest of us. A former Cornell University student…
‘We who believe in freedom cannot rest’
Imagine driving west from Charleston, W.Va., to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on the coldest weekend you had ever experienced for a graduate music audition, only to arrive and find the professor you knew — well, not really knew, but…
Dear men, it is time to wake the hell up
To paraphrase the late Tony Campolo, some of you already are more upset that I wrote the word “hell” in a headline than you are about the horror that headline addresses. Hang on to your pearls, because it’s time to…
My hopelessly bipolar relationship with institutional religion
Although I’m retired from vocational ministry, I still have church dreams several times a week. Some are positive. Some are negative. The fact that I still frequently dream about church — and that the dreams include a mix of both…
You preach against slavery, so why not preach for voting?
Does your church or faith community embrace social justice and revel in the U.S. Constitution? You know — slavery is bad, military can’t live in your house, freedom of speech and all that? And your church, I’m sure, preaches about…
Jeffress has no authority to question Talarico’s faith
In my childhood, there were moments when Mama would say, “I’ve had about all I’m going to take of you, young man.” I mention Mama because Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Dallas needs Mama’s admonition. Jeffress has this haughty habit…
Kennon L. Callahan: ‘A giant who walked among us’
The Christian community and the broader church leadership landscape recently lost a true giant. Kennon Lee Callahan — researcher, professor, author, pastor and legendary church consultant — died on the second Sunday of September, just two months shy of his…