By Alan Bean I was in the middle of a radio interview when I learned that Antonin Scalia was dead. A congressman was part of the discussion and his staffer was checking out her Twitter feed as her boss repeated…
Politics in the pulpit: One pastor’s approach
Election years can be volatile, unpredictable, and filled with heated political rhetoric. And these days, it is not unusual for prominent pastors and local clergy to join the fray of bombastic oratory. While I do not think pastors should…
The ‘downward death spiral’ of hypocrisy
January 28, 2016 By Marv Knox / Editor Which speaks louder-words or deeds? This isn’t a benign question, particularly this week. The Iowa caucus officially kicks off the 2016 presidential primary season Feb. 1. As Americans prepare to choose a…
Christian first, American second: On prioritizing (and performing) presidential identities
By Thomas J. Whitley Back in September 2015 presidential candidate Ben Carson said that for a Muslim to be president “you have to reject the tenets of Islam.”
The U.S. circus of religious nationalism
If Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Teresa were sitting at a table talking U.S. politics, would Donald Trump fit in? Or would he hijack the conversation to persuade them that he is uniquely qualified to “make America great…
7 types of evangelicals — and how they’ll affect 2016
Like many political axioms, though, it papers over a complex reality. But evangelicals rarely vote as a bloc, especially in the primaries. They disagree not only on the candidates but also on more basic principles like how active Christians should…
Is politics trumping concern for the planet?
“Politics is generally a mediocre to horrible platform for change.” That was a statement left by an anonymous person on my previous blog article. I am not sure what all the writer was suggesting, but how else can important changes…
The dangers of radical Islam and Christian hypocrisy
I’ll be honest. The sight of all those cheering Christians almost brought me to tears. I cannot bear the thought of a so-called “Christian” sanctuary filled with cheers and praise. The pastor says: bomb the hell out of them, just…
‘Our Brand Is Crisis’ offers good acting, bad story
By Michael Parnell Movies are supposed to be about something. They should have a guiding focus, an idea about themselves. Good movies can be described in a sentence. An example: The Godfather is a movie about family. Bad movies forget…
5 suggestions for Christian voters
By Jeff Harris The 2016 presidential election is still a year away and I am already tired of it. Maybe I’m too cynical, but the 24-hour news cycle has a way of bringing out the worst in us. Our dumbed-down,…
A new political imagination for today’s church
By Sam Speers and Kristopher Norris As the 2016 election cycle begins amid much pomp and fanfare, American Christians will once again face the question of how to navigate a fraught, and curious, political arena. In what has already been…
Increasing diversity offers platform for authenticating faith
Diversity is scaring the bejabbers out of America. Watch news programs on television. Listen to call-in stations on radio. And if you’ve got the gumption, read posts on Facebook and pay attention to the stuff that gets forwarded on email….