A new study exposes the stress and pain clergy endured during the COVID-19 pandemic as divisions over public health restrictions transformed many churches into culture-war battlefields. “Polarization decreased the middle ground, diminished trust in pastoral decision-making and created a general…
There’s a new religious advocacy group with ties to Patterson and Conservative Baptist Network
The latest conservative, pro-family, anti-diversity advocacy group affirmed by the James Dobson Family Institute has distinctive Southern Baptist ties and takes its name from a historic Baptist legacy traditionalists might be surprised to see on such an enterprise. In an…
Would today’s Christian nationalists exile Roger Williams — again?
In October 1635, five years after arriving in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Puritan Separatist minister Roger Williams was brought before the colony’s General Court, charged with insisting that magistrates stay out of church affairs; that Native Americans were the real…
‘Christian nationalism is more than attitudes; it’s a political dysfunction’
The political-religious movement known as Christian nationalism has taken hold in all 50 states, posing an immediate, dire threat to democracy and religion, says an extensive new study. Public Religion Research Institute President Robert P. Jones said the study, based…
Christian nationalists are misguided Christians, Anthea Butler says
Christian nationalists are still Christians despite their embrace of white supremacy and anti-democratic violence, scholar Anthea Butler said during an episode of the Interfaith Alliance’s “State of Belief” podcast. “They really believe in their Christianity. It’s just that they are…
Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Winnie Varghese
Winnie Varghese is an essential voice in the Episcopal Church on issues of race and justice. A fellow Texan, she is the daughter of Indian immigrants. I first met Winnie during her time as priest for ministry and program coordination…
Conservatives’ agenda for America is starting to read like my Bob Jones University student handbook
Perusing the news is beginning to feel like reading my Bob Jones University handbook a quarter century ago. Every page unveils another clutching of control that mortifies and confounds until the reader doesn’t know whether to laugh, cry or rage….
The threat of Christian nationalism in all 50 states, illustrated in eight charts
I’m pleased to share with you insights from the largest survey of Christian nationalism ever conducted, which was released today by PRRI. The survey was fielded among a sample of more than 22,000 Americans throughout 2023. This large sample size…
Alabama politicians flee IVF backlash
Alabama politicians are facing scrutiny after the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos used for in-vitro fertilization qualify as human beings under the law. On Feb. 16, the Alabama Supreme Court released its 8-1 decision on Burdick-Aysenne v. Center…