My religious values guide my voting decisions. More specifically, my Christian values guide my voting decisions. That is likely true of you too. Why do I say that? Because Gallup polling shows that, in the Southeast, 74% of those polled…
The criminalization of the White House
American history has known flawed, scandal-ridden and even disgraced presidents. But no modern American president has accumulated the sheer volume of legal exposure, ethical controversy, civil judgments, criminal proceedings, public deception and democratic instability surrounding one individual quite like Donald…
Malcolm X at 101
If Malcolm X were alive in 2026, he would likely be less shocked by America’s contradictions than many Americans are. Why? Because Malcolm spent his life warning us. Born May 19, 1925, Malcolm X evolved from a street survivor into…
Because I shook John Lewis’ hand
Some of you who have seen the movie Ocean’s 13 may remember the line near the end when George Clooney’s character, Danny Ocean, confronts Al Pacino’s character, Willie Bank, with this gem: “You should know better. You shook Sinatra’s hand.”…
Harry Fosdick wants a word with Seven Mountains Dominionists
On May 21, 1922, Harry Emerson Fosdick broke the spell of Christian fundamentalism in a single sermon, “Shall the Fundamentalists Win?” After more than 100 years, his words still sting those of a fundamentalism inclination. In fact, Fosdick’s critique fits…
Postcards from Rededicate 250
My wife, Jodi Kanter, is a performance studies scholar. Over the years, she’s taught me how to read a stage. As I made my way onto the green grass of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Sunday, even before I…
Is the SBC still haunted by the slavery hermeneutic?
Had the holding of slaves been a moral evil, it cannot be supposed, that the inspired Apostles, who feared not the faces of men, and were ready to lay down their lives in the cause of their God, would have…
McDonald’s and the church
I finally gave in. In fact, three times now. I successfully navigated the self-serve kiosk at McDonald’s. With a touch of reluctance, I admit the experience was satisfying. I approached the kiosk, touched the screen, scanned my points code, placed…
Reflections on being made imago Dei
“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule. … So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created…
Proposed Pell grant change misses the meaning of education
The Trump administration is proposing a new rule that would tie the availability of Pell grants and student loans to the earning potential of degree programs. This proposal is beyond terrible for a multitude of reasons. First, it ignores the actual…
Some wounds are spiritual before they are emotional
There are nights in disaster shelters when the exhaustion becomes almost physical in the air. You can feel it hanging over rows of cots and folding chairs long after midnight. Volunteers move more slowly. Children finally fall asleep. Coffee grows…
One nation under which God?
On May 17, Donald Trump plans to “rededicate” America as one nation under God. The promotional material for the event says, “Rededicate 250 will gather a broad assembly of voices united by a love of God and country.” In fact,…