When the AIDS epidemic descended upon cities on America’s West and East Coast (but not in the American South just yet), religious “authorities” such as Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and Billy Graham declared it to be God’s judgment for sin….
A view from the drought: How climate change and hunger and the war in Ukraine are conspiring against life in Africa
In many parts of the world today, two major issues of concern are the rising cost of goods and services, and the scarcity of food. The inflationary aspect is in part connected to the war in Ukraine and the crisis…
National Association of Evangelicals joins call for attention to climate change
A newly released report on faith and the environment comes from an unlikely source — the National Association of Evangelicals. While many evangelical Christians are known as deniers of climate change science and boosters of fossil-fuel energy — a known…
The fantastical world of climate change denial: Slouching toward annihilation
Climate change presents the greatest existential threat to human existence in history. The alleged worldwide flood of Noah pales in comparison. A group of politicians and preachers who should know better, and perhaps do, have responded as if they were…
We know the truth, and it is not setting us free
At the annual gathering of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship last week, I heard at least one speaker repeat the words of John 8:32: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” In fact, as I recall,…
A radical court on the move
In one of the most consequential terms in the 233-year history of the U.S. Supreme Court, an aggressive and radicalized supermajority of justices has begun a comprehensive reshaping of the legal landscape of the country with consequences we can only…
Have evangelicals become libertarians or have libertarians become evangelicals?
Libertarians and evangelicals are hard to tell apart these days. Is that because libertarians are becoming more religious or because evangelicals are becoming more political? I’m reminded of the corporate executive who once explained to me, “Remember that mergers are…
Despite how politicians vote, bipartisan majorities of Americans favor several key environmental initiatives
While climate change initiatives often carry the sound bites of partisan politics, a bipartisan majority of Americans favor key proposals to curb greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. However, as with other hot social and scientific issues —…
Biblical insights on the human heart can speak to the climate crisis, scholar says
A failure of the “corporate heart of humanity” created the global climate crisis, and science alone cannot deliver the world from this predicament, according to a Duke Divinity School biblical scholar. During the March 7 Hinson Lectures at Baptist Seminary…