While much of the nation’s attention has been focused on the controversial new abortion law in Texas, a lesser-known law has been implemented to further criminalize what has been called the world’s oldest profession. That much became obvious to Nnamdi…
Roe v. Wade in real time
It was very late one night when my phone rang, the caller ID telling me this would be a crisis call. As a victim advocate, I had received hundreds of middle-of-the-night crisis calls over the years. For the sake of…
Talking about abortion is an opportunity to call on the grace of Jesus Christ
At the end of the day, my theology means very little until it touches the ground. I am an Episcopal priest, spiritual director and recovery coach, so my whole ministry rests inside the stories that are shared with me, the…
The new abortion law reminds me why I have a love-hate relationship with Texas
I have had a love-hate relationship with Texas the entire 18 years I have lived here. I love the diversity of people in my neighborhood outside Houston. I loathe nationalistic white supremacy wrapped up in God-talk on bumper stickers, yard…
The Trump Card: How white evangelicals are being played
As a Christian leader, I will not be silent about the current state of white evangelicalism in America. I must lay out the facts, clearly and succinctly. Due to the rise of Donald Trump and Trumpism, white American evangelicalism has…
It’s 1984 in Texas
In junior high, we had an English assignment to read George Orwell’s classic, 1984. By that time, the story was probably a dozen years old, and I don’t recall thinking that the year 1984 would soon arrive. I have a…
If Jesus could be changed by a sass-mouthed woman, maybe legislators and governors can be too
In Texas, vehement castigations of Critical Race Theory are being thrown around when a last grasp at holding onto white supremacy is what was actually passed in the Legislature. This bill seeks to deny our hard truths, our painful history,…
When your religion goes against my religion
On Sept. 2, Religion News Service published an opinion piece by Rabbi Danny Horwitz titled “Texas’ abortion ban is against my religion. As a rabbi, I will defy it if necessary.” The article certainly impressed me with its provocative title….
Clergy, social workers, counselors fear they could be targeted by new Texas abortion law, which Supreme Court lets stand for now
After initially remaining silent as a highly restrictive new abortion law went into effect in Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a late-night ruling, 5-4, Sept. 1 letting the controversial law stand — for now. Had Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg…
Church ‘religious exemption’ letters against COVID vaccination mandates likely won’t work
Churches in California and North Carolina are among those now offering congregants documentation for “religious exemptions” to the COVID-19 vaccine, a practice that is legally dubious and likely ineffective, according to labor lawyers. The practice has arisen as more employers…
Are you pro-life or pro-birth?
Do believers want babies just to be born — or to live after birth? The evidence for after birth support is very poor. Having heard several people firmly tell me that they are “pro-life,” I’ve usually first asked them then…
God bless the USA but don’t mess with Texas: Reflections on America by a native Texan returning to Texas
I recently returned to Texas after living in Boston for the last several years. I grew up in Texas. I’m not unaccustomed to the culture here, but sometimes I’m a bit taken off guard by aspects of West Texas culture…