Nineteen years ago tomorrow, terrorists directed by Osama bin Laden successfully orchestrated an unforgettable attack that defined the next decade of American life. Hijacking four commercial jets, terrorists flew two into the World Trade Center towers and one into the…
Letter to the Editor for August 31
Read our latest Letter to the Editor here. And if you have a public comment to make as a Letter to the Editor, see our guidelines here. What would the Apostle Paul say about Donald Trump? Earl B. Chappell III,…
History shows the view is best from the margins
Sometimes an obscure social science dissertation about historical events tells you exactly what you need to know about what is going on right now. I have just read a little-noticed 2019 book called Protectors of Pluralism: Religious Minorities and the…
Is QAnon a prophet or provocateur? And how should Christians respond?
To some, it’s the beginning of a new religious movement. For others, a puzzle or a game. For still others, it is community, a gathering of like-minded folks who enjoy each other’s company and share a deep passion. But for…
MacArthur says Trump called to support his defiance of COVID orders
John MacArthur, the California pastor who continues to defy a public health order limiting public gatherings due to the coronavirus threat, says he has received encouragement from President Donald Trump and can’t imagine why any thinking Christian could vote for…
Let’s help evangelical Christians break free of the shame that drives them
As a child, I possessed a somewhat fearful disposition toward the world. After a few years of tearful late-night sit-ins outside my biological father and his new wife’s locked bedroom door, or screaming near-weekly announcements to the employees of my…
We’ve misunderstood Darwin about who survives
Charles Darwin has done a real number on us, hasn’t he? But it’s not his evolutionary theory that is the problem. Fifteen billion years instead of 6,000 should be more evocative of anything divine than destructive of it. Who (besides…
Let’s stop covering up the enablers of racism in America
Back during the heated battle for control of the Southern Baptist Convention, Ed Young once chided the denominational press for seeking information about a fundamentalist leader who had done something untoward. I can’t remember who had committed the sin or…
America: Powered by haters, redeemed by lovers
In my little town in Oregon, I saw a car with two Confederate flags and a bumper sticker that said, “Powered by Haters.” My shock at the blatant declaration did not translate into any direct action, and I wondered what,…