Social media was abuzz this week with reaction to Southern Baptist Convention leader Al Mohler appearing on a podcast with Christian nationalist Doug Wilson. The mere fact of them being in conversation is the most notable thing, because what they...
In 49 C.E., Seneca wrote a book on time management. In On the Shortness of Life, he came down hard on his fellow Romans for pursuing political careers they didn’t really care about, holding elaborate banquets they didn’t especially enjoy…
The IRS recently announced it would no longer enforce the Johnson Amendment. The amendment, passed in 1954, bears the name of then-Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson. The Johnson Amendment prohibited churches, religious organizations and other nonprofits from participating in electoral…
Given the state of public affairs in these riven United States, I too frequently find myself in a foaming-at-the-mouth froth of anger. Utter disgust, flinging foul imprecations and anathemas — mostly under my breath. I catch myself, with James and…
In August 2017, author Michael Wolff conducted research for his book Fire and Fury. He spoke at considerable length with Jeffrey Epstein. On Aug. 10, 2019, the notorious sexual predator was found dead in his prison cell. Authorities ruled his…
In my most recent column I drew attention to the certainty gap between American evangelicals and mainline Protestants. While 85% of evangelicals and 82% of Black Protestants believe in God without a shadow of a doubt, the same can only…
Early in my ministry in South Louisiana, I was pastor of the only Baptist church in a town of about 6,000 people. This was Jimmy Swaggert territory, and many Pentecostals and charismatic/nondenominational churches dotted the area. You were most likely…
A federal judge in San Francisco has extended Temporary Protected Status for approximately 60,000 immigrants from Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal, at least until November. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem decided last month to revoke the status, saying conditions…
Former students, staff, faculty and friends of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary will remember their school and celebrate its unanticipated broad influence during a reunion at Wake Forest University’s School of Divinity in Winston-Salem, N.C., Aug. 15-16. “From Seminary to Society:…
For the last three months, I have been part of a weekly clergy and faith leader’s prayer vigil that holds space and bears witness to the plight of our immigrant neighbors. The vigil takes place outside of the Dallas Immigration…
I was sitting on my back porch, watching some early Fourth of July fireworks but not feeling at all patriotic as I pondered the current ICE raids. Almost everyone I know is impacted, asking about their loved one and wondering what can we do if they…
I was a fifth-year senior, which was one of the most embarrassing times of my life. It meant I hadn’t finished high school in the usual four years, and I would be required to go back to the same high…
The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty marked the 10th anniversary of its BJC Fellows program by training a 14-member 2025 class, bringing the total number of Fellows to 100. Each summer, the BJC trains a new class of emerging…
