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...
The headline itself tells a uniquely American story. From the South Side of Chicago came a young community organizer searching for purpose. He eventually made his way to the South Lawn of the White House as the 44th president of…
I’ve noticed something in congregational life. When a question comes up that challenges long-held beliefs or traditions, anxiety can spread quickly. People sense that more than just opinions are at stake. For some, this affects how they read scripture. For…
The Washington, D.C.-area offices of nonprofit groups that provide legal services to unaccompanied immigrant children were recently visited by federal agents in what some of the organizations described as a campaign of intimidation. Kids In Need of Defense, or KIND,…
An average of 25 children age 3 or younger are in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody daily while no fewer than 500 infants and toddlers have been detained since President Donald Trump took office last year, according to a study…
A few weeks ago, I sat with a Baptist leader who described himself as a “moderate Baptist.” He meant it as a compliment, and most people in our circles would receive it that way. After all, “moderate” is one of…
Three years ago, I met Oliver Sakor at the baggage claim at the airport in Accra, Ghana. He was waiting there as he did most days, hoping travelers would trust him to carry their luggage for a little money. For…
Ten years ago, a priest at an inner-city Episcopal church in Delaware (Saints Andrew and Matthew in Wilmington) invited me to lead a Lenten retreat on race and film for his congregants. His parish, he told me, was made up…
More than 30 years ago, when Terrence Minor was incarcerated, a young man began speaking to him about Jesus. Minor cannot recall the man’s full name but does remember the influence he had. “Today, I couldn’t point to him in…
Religious freedom is a radical invention that allows all Americans to believe or not believe as they choose, but on the condition that others are not harmed, said Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State….
Eric Metaxas has a new book, Revolution: The Birth of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World. He is not a historian, and while there have been any number of good books written by non-historians, Revolution is not…
Coming to faith as a teenager in the 1970s, I inherited a more or less modern and impoverished Christian notion of heaven — heaven as the good place way out there somewhere that you hope to go to when you…
I’ve often paused when reflecting on Jesus’ enigmatic words in Matthew’s Gospel: “While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Look, your mother and…
