Note: This post is an excerpt from a chapter titled “Juneteenth” in the author’s forthcoming book, Backslide: Reclaiming a Faith and a Nation After the Christian Turn Against Democracy, which will be published September 8 and is now available for pre-order....
“I did not want to weep for Martin; tears seemed futile. But I may also have been afraid, and could not have been the only one, that if I began to weep, I would not be able to stop.” James…
Some days my outlook is determined by my outfit. If that sounds shallow to you, you’ve never worn a pair of cut-off leopard print shorts. If you have, you know the possible trajectory of where one’s day can go from…
Letter to the Editor March 25, 2022 Dear Editor: Thank you for writing an open article that appears to be uninfluenced and uncontrolled by those in the center of the spotlight of this (SBC) controversy. The Guidepost independent report and…
In the wake of the Guidepost report that Southern Baptist Convention executive leaders covered up knowledge of sexual abuse for decades, we are reminded once again of how religious abuse has deeply traumatized millions of our neighbors. One of the ways evangelicals…
The United Methodist Church hasn’t been immune to incidents of sexual misconduct like those in the Southern Baptist Convention outlined in the Guidepost Solutions report published May 22. However, United Methodists differ from Southern Baptists because they have 40 years’…
Search the internet or the indices of books written about the history of the Southern Baptist Convention and you’ll find few references to August “Augie” Boto. This week, Boto’s name is all over the internet, however, because of his starring…
The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee refused to act on hundreds of reports of abuse. This is more than just sin. The efforts of survivors and advocates to bring the truth to light was called, “a satanic scheme to completely…
If you pay only minimal attention to news outlets, you know the story of the week is the Southern Baptist Convention’s stunning cover up of clergy sexual abuse. The glaring headlines of Christianity Today, The Washington Post and The New…
The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, hit hard by an independent investigation of mishandling of sexual abuse claims over the past two decades, wants to release a secret file with the names of 703 alleged clergy abusers, has repudiated a…
As news is breaking from the investigation of the Southern Baptist Convention’s handling of sexual abuse, my heart breaks for women in the denomination I once called home. It is devastating to read about the treatment of victims and about…
Baptists in Europe continue to be creative, compassionate and relentless in providing humanitarian and pastoral support to Ukrainian refugees three months into Russia’s invasion of its western neighbor. The latest report from the European Baptist Federation says needs continue to…
Institutional, systematic evil hides in dark corners and whispers in hushed tones. It can undermine the innocent and protect the guilty. Systematic evil is evil in its most destructive format. It is evil with the largest victim count. It is…
