A class action lawsuit accusing the U.S. Department of Education of wrongly allowing discrimination against LGBTQ students at faith-based schools has grown in number of participants and in general support over the past 15 months. The Religious Exemption Project filed…
In an unusual church parking lot dispute, federal court sides with the church and tells the city to pay up for its parking violation
Churches battling cities over parking is a tale as old as time. But in the seaside town of St. Pete Beach, Fla., an entirely different version of a parking lot battle has played out, this time with the city ordered…
Why I wrote a book about Asian Americans being invisible
My new book, Invisible, came out during the pandemic in November 2021. Since then, I have done numerous presentations and talks on Zoom and podcast interviews as well as a few in-person book talks. One of the most frequent questions…
Ketanji Brown Jackson’s experience at the Senate felt a lot like being a Baptist woman in ministry
“She has a vast practical experience, something that I think is a real plus. … I will vote no.” “I can say definitively that I like her. I think she’s a good person, but I cannot support her.” “She seems…
Lesson learned: While lifting up women we unwittingly put down those who cannot stand
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” — Maya Angelou On March 1, the first day of Women’s History Month, Baptist Women in Ministry introduced a new name for its monthly…
Black and Asian refugees fleeing Ukraine face additional barriers, discrimination
Black and Asian refugees fleeing Ukraine due to Russia’s unprovoked and deadly attack there are facing discrimination as they attempt to enter neighboring countries such as Poland. After multiple news reports of such discrimination, a member of Allen Temple Baptist…
For Black South Africans, wearing traditional goatskin jewelry can cause bans from white Christian schools
Zandile never forgets the day her overwhelmingly white Christian high school asked her to leave classes. The offense of the 14-year-old from the Zulu tribe was donning the “isiphandla,” a traditional bracelet made out of goatskin and worn by the…
Jewish couple sues after United Methodist agency receiving taxpayer funding refuses to help them adopt a disabled child
Among the core beliefs espoused by Holston United Methodist Home for Children in Tennessee are assertions that “it is the birthright of every child to have a family” and that “the best place for a child to be raised is…
‘Bad theology’ on LGBTQ discrimination ‘destroys lives,’ panelists say
Faith leaders and their communities have a crucial role to play in ending the discrimination and persecution of LGBTQ people around the world, a panel of international activists and clergy said ahead of President Joe Biden’s Dec. 9 Summit for…