In the wake of the violence of January 6, 2021, some observers wondered why the insurrectionists at the U.S. Capitol weren’t charged with domestic terrorism. The reason is simple: There is no standalone federal crime on the books for domestic...
Today, I did something I’ve never done before at a funeral. Something so ill-advised that pastoral care professors reading this likely will flinch on hearing it. Something that’s the wrong thing except when it is suddenly very necessary. I told…
Luke Cunningham, a former youth pastor at four Texas churches who was arrested June 19 by United States marshals, now faces a probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for alleged international and interstate sex trafficking. The investigation concerns allegations…
Last week, I attended a school board meeting for the Southlake-Carroll Independent School District in North Texas which has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education over its changes to Title IX. This is the school district in…
Johnsonville, one of the most popular sausage brands in America, announced a new ad campaign April 8 they have titled “Keep It Juicy.” The campaign, which features actor Vince Vaughn, will of course emphasize that Johnsonville sausages are known for…
John Lewis has been called the moral conscience of the United States Congress. His death in July 2020 was a great loss to all of us. I mourn his death, but I call on his dream, his spirit, for our…
Not to be outdone by themselves, Louisiana’s culture-war politicians recently passed a new law making the state the first in the nation to permit surgical castration for some people convicted of sex crimes against children. When the act goes into…
It’s not even occurred to me to tell this story for maybe 30 years, but Father’s Day just happened and the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting just took place, and somebody just died a few days before that happened, and…
The Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly has continued its decade-long protest of Israeli occupation of Palestine by voting to divesting from Israeli bonds. The unanimous consent vote of the 500-member assembly marks a continuation of a protest begun in 2014…
Supporters of Joe Biden and Donald Trump see the world in almost polar opposite ways, according to new data from Pew Research. From gun violence to slavery to gender equity to religious liberty and sexual orientation, Democrats and Republicans express…
For 25 years, Jean Becker had a front row seat into the life of former President George H.W. Bush as his chief of staff. Her work was a calling she enjoyed, not just a job serving one of the world’s…
As a person who tries, however poorly, to live as a Jesus follower, I find myself fearing people who have only a casual acquaintance with Christianity might assume all Christians are applauding the recent Louisiana legislation that mandates posting the…
The 248th birthday of our country will be celebrated this year under dark shadows. Personally, I will not be doing much celebrating. Let’s review our situation, shall we? Former President Donald Trump already was leading in the presidential election polls…
