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...
The fight over posting the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms returned to court Jan. 20 when the full 17-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in two cases challenging new laws in Louisiana…
Because Texas Gov. Greg Abbott designated the Council on American Islamic Relations as a foreign terrorism organization, a Muslim youth sports league has been denied use of a public school facility. Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District, which lies in the heart…
The tactics of masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents hunting down people of color evokes memories of the oppression Black Americans have faced throughout U.S. history, said Boise Kimber, president of the National Baptist Convention USA. “ICE reminds us of…
For a year, ICE and the Trump administration have made it harder for communities to live, gather and worship without fear. It started with the erosion of sensitive locations — which allowed ICE to conduct immigration enforcement activities on church…
A coalition of churches in Memphis, Tenn., has joined the chorus of voices demanding justice for lawfully resettled Afghan refugees targeted for detention and deportation by federal immigration authorities. “The challenge we’re finding is that many of the of the…
On Jan. 15, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced during his State of the State address that passage of “Trey’s Law” will be a priority of First Lady Marty Kemp and the Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion and Education Commission. Trey’s Law legislation seeks…
Jan. 15 marked the 97th birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. The American Baptist Home Mission Society celebrates his legacy as the foremost prophet of the 20th century, who also was an activist for biblical and social justice, liberator, truth…
MAGA churches are not being persecuted for righteousness but for not loving their neighbors. They are being persecuted by unexpected judgment like Jesus cleansing the temple. Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., is not being persecuted for faithfulness to the…
In a year of political divisiveness, a Sunday protest at a Southern Baptist Church in St. Paul, Minn., has drawn a new line in the sand. Protesters led by former CNN anchor Don Lemon entered Cities Church during Sunday morning…
Everyone needs grace. Republicans, Democrats and independents need grace. Undocumented immigrants and Christian nationalists need grace. People of color and people of privilege need grace. Young and old, rich and poor, gendered and non-gendered, more or less educated, born in…
The principal strength from which the forces of despotism operate comes not from their accomplices in infamy but from the silence of those who turn a blind eye, who have been cowed into silence, saved (they think) by means of…
We are living in a moment of widespread moral confusion, and yet we have no shortage of people claiming to speak with moral and even prophetic authority. Everyone seems certain. Everyone seems outraged. Everyone seems convinced God is on their…
