I planned to write this essay about January 6 as an anniversary piece. Because I am a public speech teacher, it has felt particularly cruel for conservatives to deny what happened on that dark day. When Donald Trump Jr. sarcastically…
What ever happened to Barabbas?
Barabbas! Oh, Barabbas! What happened to you after you were freed from prison? Did you become a celebrity with the religious leaders who encouraged the crowd to call for your release? Did you thank Jesus for his sacrifice? Did you…
More evangelical leaders on board Trump train for 2024
Growing numbers of conservative evangelical leaders are on board the Trump train as the former president chugs his way toward the 2024 GOP nomination. And those numbers could increase more now that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has dropped out of…
Mike Johnson and Steve Bannon spar over whether it is ‘God’s will’ that Joe Biden is president
The conservative Southern Baptist speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, who sought to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, now says it is “God’s will” that Joe Biden is president. That didn’t sit well with another of…
Iowa and the zombie myth about white evangelical support for Trump
Heading into the Iowa caucuses, the Republican presidential candidate standings looked to be as frozen as the snow-covered ground. The last results from the storied Iowa Poll, conducted by J. Ann Selzer from Jan. 7 to 12, showed Donald Trump with…
The ‘god’ many American Christians worship
Driving along Highway 27 in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., in mid-September 2021, motorists were surprised to see a billboard bearing a phrase from the Bible they had often heard during the Christmas season in their churches: “Unto us a son is…
Is God the partner of racists?
I am having trouble understanding, or making sense of, what I am hearing and seeing in this country. So many white people — and plenty of non-whites as well — are fully committed to the former president. Nothing he has…
Trump keeps wooing evangelical voters through grievance and promises of protection
“He’s the only savior I can see,” one woman told a reporter as she explained her plans to vote for Donald Trump for the third time this fall. “I believe Trump is appointed by God — appointed-slash-anointed, however you want…
Are we in the Lord’s army? Crusading mentality persists from medieval times to today
Centuries after the Crusades, many American Christians still feel the urge to fight for power, control and dominion over what they believe is God’s country. But with a Constitution that protects religious freedom, what are modern crusaders really fighting for?…