It may now seem surprising to many United Methodists, and even more Baptists, that for most of our histories in the United States, all Methodists and Baptists were regularly designated as evangelical denominations. The most important reason is that both...
Roy and Delyte Cantwell of Independence, Mo., both at the age of 32, in early 1956 began the arduous process of adopting a child since they were not able to have a child in the usual way. On Feb. 28,…
While I’m not a psychotherapist or anywhere close to an expert in family systems theory, I’m finding some clarity in applying what little I do know to our current societal predicaments. It goes something like this: Pressure begins to build…
As of this writing, well more than 18 million people have cast their votes already, and Election Day is still two weeks away. Long waits and long lines have greeted those who are registering their support for or against the…
Martha Dixon Kearse is a preacher whose message on systemic racism and white privilege is disturbing to the very demographic she’s trying to reach: white Christians. “Let’s be up front about the very ugly, very large elephant in the room:…
When broadcast journalist Deanna Dewberry gave her testimony to a Bible study class at Houston’s South Main Baptist Church, it was the continuation of an ongoing story of friendship and faith that spans the years and the miles. Dewberry, a…
If you’re wondering who those “undecided” voters are, it turns out a portion of them are pastors. New research by LifeWay Research found 53% of America’s Protestant pastors said they intend to vote for Donald Trump and 21% said they…
Our country is politically torn apart. This is the reality that greets us every day in the national media, regardless of which network, website or newspaper we follow. Our states are labeled by their Republican or Democratic governors, eliciting opinions…
At least two Baptist churches — and most likely others — have been used as controversial ballot collection sites organized by the California Republican Party and declared illegal by state elections officials. National Republican Congressional Committee Deputy Chair Ken Calvert…
A new study from the University of California offers concrete data on the meaning of “systemic racism” in policing — data not surprising to two Baptists with front-row seats to issues of policing and criminal justice. The USC report analyzed police…
Federal government raids on ministries that serve immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border may generate outrage and sadness among those who aid “the least of these,” but certainly not surprise. “Intimidation has become the government’s primary tool” in addressing immigrants, refugees…
I have spent 50 years teaching religion to mostly white evangelical students at Christian colleges and universities from California to Pennsylvania and points in between. Most of those students came from evangelical homes and grew up in evangelical churches, and…
I write these words from a place of brokenheartedness with the world around me, as political battles rage and shared understanding seems further and further away. I write these words after harrowing (and sometimes heartening) conversations with people I love….
