The day after riotous supporters of President Donald Trump overtook the United States Capitol, religious leaders across the nation spoke out decisively against the Jan. 6 anarchy. The chorus of condemnation included religious leaders who have been sharp critics of…
Let’s make America great again
My middle son is a car guy. I have no idea how that happened since there are no other car guys in the family, on either side. It started with his first car. I told him and his older brother…
Broken churches, broken nation: Will evangelicals ‘recalculate’ or rebel?
On Dec. 7, 1941, the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, was attacked by the Empire of Japan, an event that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called “a day of infamy.” On Jan. 6, 2021, the land of the free…
We need to call Trump Christians back to the faith they left
Joe Biden is the next president of the United States. Despite allegations, falsehoods and lies, no election fraud affected the outcome of the race. That’s simply a fact. I’m not sure what will become of evangelical Trump supporters now that…
Remember that Epiphany ends with Herod’s terror
In the days and verses after the Epiphany story, Herod goes on a campaign killing boys under the age of 2 in fear of losing his power. I imagine there were some in the region who could not believe that…
Pastors respond to unbelievable events at Capitol on Epiphany 2021
Baptist pastors and leaders took to social media Wednesday, Jan. 6, to express outrage and remorse and calls to prayer as supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the United States Capitol in an attempt to disrupt certification of Trump’s loss…
Truth Decay: How truthfulness is related to humility
“Each and every sin in its own unique way is a denial of what is real.” — Fr. Terrance Klein In my last post, I began to explore the ethics of truth as one finds this theme in the New Testament….
Trump executive order diverts federal funds to private school vouchers under cover of COVID-19
What the Trump Administration Department of Education has been unable to do legally through normal means in four years, it has now attempted to do in the last days of the administration through an executive order related to COVID-19. On…
On coronavirus beliefs, ‘It’s evangelical Protestants against everyone else’
When asked in October to list their top concerns, white evangelicals listed abortion, fair presidential elections and terrorism. The coronavirus didn’t make the cut, noted Robert P. Jones, CEO and founder of the Public Religion Research Institute. “Looking at their…
Why can’t Christians so concerned about cults see that they’ve joined one?
My conservative evangelical upbringing taught me all the tenets of “true” Christian faith — the inerrancy of Scripture, that the rapture will happen any day, and that teenage hormones are sinful (even though they are also a gift from God)….
Killin’ ’em for Christmas
In the midst of a surging pandemic that has killed 300,000 Americans plus an election that remains contested because the loser (and his idol-worshipping followers) will not accept the fact (defined as “a thing that is known or proved to…
Fasting, feasting and the meaning of Advent 2020
My annual Advent tradition is to stand in a pew and choke back tears while trying to sing O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. This year the location moved to the kitchen table, my trembling hand clutching my red coffee cup….