Pastoral ministry rarely pauses long enough for leaders to notice the weight they carry. The work does not begin on Sunday morning or end when the sanctuary grows quiet. In our counseling practice, we sit with pastors who describe a…
Voting rights and the ancestral voices of the African diaspora
Let me tell you what just happened: The U.S. Supreme Court effectively dismantled the Voting Rights Act. The very legislation for which John Lewis bled on that bridge, for which Fannie Lou Hamer was beaten in a Mississippi jail, for…
Ted Turner: The maverick who changed the world
There are few Americans in modern history who can say they fundamentally changed how the world watches television, experiences sports, consumes news and thinks about philanthropy. Ted Turner is one of those rare figures. Whether people agreed with his politics,…
In conversation with Jim Somerville
For 18 years, Jim Somerville has done something many pastors talk about but far fewer actually attempt. He has led a historic congregation to change. This change isn’t merely cosmetic or programmatic but rather the kind that presses on identity…
What I learned from a month of MAGA immersion
Are you living in a filter-bubble? Of course you are. Whether you receive most of your information from Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, Truth Social or X, you are getting filtered content. The almighty algorithm learns how you think, what you like,…
Ben Sasse’s courage, grace and metastasized Calvinism
Two tensions can be true at the same time. We can admire a person’s courage and grace without blindly accepting their well-intentioned but dangerous beliefs. Many Christians recently shared on social media a segment of Scott Pelley’s 60 Minutes interview…
The Supreme Court is betting on America’s amnesia
The U.S. Supreme Court’s latest voting rights ruling is dangerous not only for what it does legally, but for what it reveals nationally. It reveals how much historical amnesia now exists in the American bloodstream. A nation that still viscerally…
Theater of the absurd: The ‘Anti-Christian Bias’ report
Last Thursday, the federal government’s “Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias” released a massive 500-page report, which allegedly “details the Biden administration’s radical efforts to punish Christians and highlights President Donald Trump’s efforts to restore religious liberty.” The task force — involving…
A report from the Post-Evangelical Collective meeting in Boston
The momentum is growing. The Post-Evangelical Collective has a bright future, but also key issues to consider. What follows are some observations from my fourth national Post-Evangelical Collective conference. In order, they have been Denver (2023), Raleigh (2024), Nashville (2025)…
What does JD Vance think Christian ‘moral principles’ are?
Maybe like me you missed this zinger back in April. Amid the dispute between the White House and the Vatican, Vice President JD Vance posted on X April 18: “Pope Leo preaches the gospel, as he should, and that will…
What I would say to Sam Allberry
A few days ago, Immanuel Church Nashville released a statement that associate pastor Sam Allberry had resigned from his position following an “inappropriate relationship with an adult man,” the nature and extent of which he failed to fully disclose. Allberry…
Jesus Was a Migrant illuminates America’s theological crisis
Last fall, FaithWorks (formerly Fellowship Southwest) led a pilgrimage to the Texas-Mexico border. The pilgrims included the organization’s Racial Justice Advocates pilot cohort and a documentary film crew. Noted writer and historian Jemar Tisby also joined the group. The result,…