It didn’t surprise me in recent weeks to read articles like the essay Gene Weingarten wrote for the Washington Post in which he lamented the fact that “I find myself profoundly disliking and disrespecting almost half of my countrymen and…
From religion to immigration to COVID, Fox News creates divisions even among Republicans
One simple question may be the most reliable predictor of the strength of a conservative person’s political views in this hotly contested election year. That question: Do you trust Fox News? From religion to immigration to race to the economy…
A white Jesus, the American Creed, and a nation badly divided
I was young — perhaps only 3 or 4 — when I learned in Sunday school that “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world; red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight….
Operation Family Meeting aims to get politically divided families around the table again
In the age of Trump, hometowns, Sunday dinners and even holiday celebrations are no longer safe spaces for families with opposing views. These familiar places become hostile zones of contrary views, charged with emotional fervor. But they don’t have to…
Bonhoeffer Moment No. 3: When conscience fails and hypocrisy prevails
In the first of this series, I noted that Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Letters and Papers from Prison begins with a 1943 essay titled “After Ten Years,” written the year before he was imprisoned by the Nazis. In it, the German theologian/preacher/teacher…
Pastors feeling political pushback from both sides — and then there’s the younger generation
Some pastors simply can’t win for losing when trying to navigate the politics consuming many American churches. Those who try to stay clear of contentious issues are criticized for avoiding important issues. Those who take up those topics are accused…
My journey from being a young-earth Creationist, Dispensationalist Republican to seeing my neighbor as worthy of my vote
My body was tense as I sat in the white-walled classroom of my Baptist high school in Middle Georgia. With the sounds of pretend canons firing at the Civil War reenactment across the street, I listened to my teacher tell…
Seek to become a ‘trauma-informed congregation’ in November forward
In recent years, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has become a highly visible part of our culture, and generalized trauma has emerged as a consistent issue for clergy and churches. The majority of Americans have experienced a significant trauma in their…
Mohler endorses Trump while Piper disses Trump and feels the backlash
Al Mohler already has voted for Donald Trump, but John Piper won’t vote for either Trump or Joe Biden. Two bits of significant national news within the last week from the Calvinist wing of evangelical Christianity. Mohler, president of Southern…