On May 24, 2018, then-President Donald J. Trump issued a long-overdue posthumous pardon to Jack Johnson, the first Black world heavyweight boxing champion, convicted in 1913 under the Mann Act — a federal law originally intended to crack down on…
Prestonwood celebrates Trump and Supreme Court in morning worship
“This is a time for us to celebrate America,” Prestonwood Baptist Church Pastor Jack Graham declared in his all-white suit in a scene reminiscent of a Jesse Gemstone sermon in HBO Max’s The Righteous Gemstones. “Just because you love America…
Broglio juggles roles as leader of US bishops and shepherd of Catholic troops
On June 22, the morning after President Donald Trump announced U.S. forces had bombed several nuclear sites in Iran, Archbishop Timothy Broglio issued two responses, one for each of the two hats he wears — president of the U.S. Conference…
MAGA coalesces around evangelical support for Israel in bombing Iran
Robert Jeffress not only supports President Donald Trump’s bombing of Iran, but his publicist sent out a news release to make sure everyone understands he does. In last Sunday morning’s sermon — delivered hours after Trump ordered massive bombs dropped…
When lies pass for truth, the light dims for all of us
When lies pass for the truth, something in democracy disappears. Since conservatives insist liberals are lying and liberals insist conservatives are lying, somebody in the house of democracy is not telling the truth. The standard theme of anti-Trumpers long has…
Why Trump’s vulgar diplomacy is dangerous
In one week, President Donald Trump did something no U.S. president has done so brazenly in the history of the Republic: He praised God for bombs being dropped on Iran, then pivoted to call for a cease-fire, only to later…
GOP and Christian legal group battle ‘Censorship-Industrial Complex’
“I have stopped all government censorship and brought back free speech in America,” President Donald Trump told Congress in March. “It’s back.” He was referring to one of the many executive orders he signed on inauguration day: “Restoring Freedom of…
As Trump signals willingness to join Iran fight, tensions roil MAGA movement
If, as Irving Kristol wrote, a neoconservative is a liberal who’s been mugged by reality, then what do you call an “American First” president who is cheering Israel’s attacks on Iran, increasingly claiming credit for them and seemingly leaving the…
Now Josh Howerton is giving advice on loving Trump’s immigration plans
Fresh off his controversial advice for brides to give their husbands whatever they want sexually on their wedding nights, Texas megachurch pastor Josh Howerton is dishing out advice about how President Donald Trump’s immigration policies are biblical after all. While…
A word about June 14 to Christians beyond the USA
Last week the editor of Riforma, an Italian-language newspaper published by and for Baptists, Methodists and Waldensians in Italy, asked if I’d be willing to write a front-page article for this week’s edition sharing my perspective on events in the…
Trump Made $1.3 Million on Bible Endorsement
President Donald Trump earned $1.3 million off the sale of Bibles in 2024.
‘No Kings’: The Rise Of Religious Authoritarianism In America
As fascism threatens to rise in America, a “soft theocracy” is already here — a system where particular religious values and beliefs shape public policy without being the official state religion.