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…
Let’s make Pride about ‘us’ more than ‘me’
Those who know me well know I loathe most contemporary Christian music. It’s often inward focused and driven by first-person language. It’s commonly all about one’s personal relationship with God or what God has done for individuals, ignoring the Bible’s…
Yes, Baptist polity makes room for queer Christians
On May 6, my husband and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. Something we both like to do is give one another a gift and then go out to eat. For a while I have been thinking about what to…
Stronger than yesterday
From my post at the front desk of our local YMCA, I notice a lot of interesting slogans on T-shirts as members scan in to work out. Recently a man came through wearing a T-shirt, the arms of which were…
Don’t be a Stormtrooper: Moral clarity in story and in life
As someone who has fond memories of watching the original Star Wars in the theater, I will confess I am drawn to the meme of Star Wars stormtroopers in their off hours — hanging in the break room, eating lunch,…
The rotten fruit of Paige Patterson’s loins
Progeny is a gift. In the Hebrew Bible, more than 20 distinct words describe children in various senses, such as “lad,” “boy,” “youngling,” “child,” “offspring” and more. They appear in some form or another more than 1,500 times throughout the…