It may now seem surprising to many United Methodists, and even more Baptists, that for most of our histories in the United States, all Methodists and Baptists were regularly designated as evangelical denominations. The most important reason is that both...
One of the most peculiar claims to arise out of the defamation suit brought by David and Mary Sills is that the former missions professor justified his extramarital relationship with Jennifer Lyell by saying his wife knew about it. David…
In May 2022, Megan Basham wrote to Texas pastor Tom Ascol as an intermediary to seek clarifying information from David Sills about his relationship with Jennifer Lyell and subsequent firing from the faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. That email…
Like most of us, Rich Villodas has trouble waiting. His latest book comes from that personal experience he believes will resonate with others in this Advent season of awaiting the birth of the Christ Child. Waiting “is very painful, I…
This week, The New York Times reported a Catholic parish on a busy street in a wealthy Boston suburb had caused a stir with its Nativity scene. All the familiar elements are there: the shepherds and angels, sheep and hay, the three wise men….
Fair warning up front: I’m going to mess with one of your favorite hymns today. Be prepared. But first, a story. As I was writing this lesson, I got a message from a friend whose beloved cat died Thursday. We…
The first year of Donald Trump’s mass-deportation campaign has been marked by misinformation, intimidation and brutality and it’s likely to get worse in 2026, immigration experts say. “Unfortunately, what we’re seeing is only the beginning,” said Deborah Fleischaker, former acting chief…
I lost the message of Christ to these evangelicals. I really wanted so desperately to reclaim the Christian faith from the hypocrites who have taken control of the message of Jesus for the last 50 years, but I can see…
As if exasperated by a quarrel during Thanksgiving dinner, columnist Michael Sean Winters pleads with whoever will listen: “Can everyone please stop talking about ‘Christian nationalism?’” Writing in the Nov. 21 issue of the National Catholic Reporter, he claims with…
President Donald Trump has added notorious 2020 election denier Gregg Phillips to his administration as he seeks freedom for Tina Peters, a Colorado county clerk serving a nine-year prison term. Meanwhile, Mike Lindell, a leading election skeptic, announced he’s running…
Jeffrey Rosen is president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, professor of law at George Washington University, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the…
The Whig interpretation of history, famously critiqued by Herbert Butterfield in 1931, remains one of the most seductive frameworks in modern historical consciousness. It offers a narrative of inevitable progress — a story in which the past leads inexorably to…
Years ago while serving as a parish pastor, I visited an inactive member of my new congregation. Although he used to attend regularly, he quit coming after his wife died. By the time I arrived at the church, he had…
