It is midnight. Not the kind of midnight measured by clocks. The kind that settles into your bones. The kind that lingers long after the sun has risen. We all know this midnight. It is the midnight of the marriage...
A Southwestern Seminary professor who shared a platform with disgraced former seminary President Paige Patterson this spring either has been fired or has resigned, depending on who’s telling the story. David Allen, who served 18 years as distinguished professor of…
When I accepted Jesus into my heart in 1998, in response to a gospel message at a youth rally at a local church, I had no idea what that event meant or the history it ushered me into. I just…
The ongoing break-up of The United Methodist Church escalated in mid-July to a public legal feud that appears further to damage the troubled denomination’s reputation. The latest episode erupted July 14 when 106 local congregations, most located in rural areas…
Those of you who read this column are aware that I study culture, religion and political life to explore the myths by which Americans shape their lives, and that I’m particularly focused on questions of race and injustice. Knowing that,…
Those who think immigrants are stealing American jobs not only are wrong but are imperiling the American economy with their unsubstantiated views, a panel of agricultural leaders said July 27. “Each year, we see the end of generational farms because…
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Christopher Adams, concluding his tenure as pastoral assistant at Woodland Baptist Church, San Antonio, Texas. He has been…
Evangelicals are the New Zealots, and that spells danger for democracy and for the planet. The danger lies in the fantastical world created by evangelicals. The danger becomes personal in the symbol of guns and precarious in their climate denial….
Last week I heard someone suggest that Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty has moved to the left politically and abandoned its historic Baptist tradition. There’s an agricultural word to describe the fallacy of that argument, but I won’t use…
The world is getting better for gays and lesbians, according to a new Gallup World Poll survey. Last year, 50% of adults worldwide indicated their community is a “good place” for LGBTQ people to live, Gallup announced. That percentage doubles…
Many U.S. churches jumped at the chance to utilize the Payroll Protection Program, or PPP, to cover payroll costs and benefits during the darkest stretch of the COVID-19 pandemic. But fewer congregations and other nonprofit organizations have been as quick…
When, upon life’s freeways, backroads and typical streets, we are called upon to travel, we never are alone. Beyond the actual passengers who travel with us, the three members of the Scenario Family always jump in the car, train, plane,…
I first learned the news from two female co-workers. One clapped her hands, while the other one practically jumped up and down. The Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade. My response surprised me. I did not experience the same…
