After covering the “crack-up” of the Republican Party in American Carnage, award-winning journalist Tim Alberta explores “the crack-up of the American evangelical church” in The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism. Four years…
Now, Pastor Greg Locke is a demon slayer
Nashville pastor Greg Locke gained national notoriety for his rebellion against COVID precautions, his denial of the pandemic itself and his enthusiastic support for Donald Trump. Now he’s found new life as a demon slayer. “It was never about the…
Churches can talk about issues and advocate for voting rights without running afoul of the law, BJC leaders explain
Even in the midst of a highly charged 2020 election cycle, most American houses of worship have protected their tax-exempt status by avoiding candidate endorsements and direct involvement in political campaigns, said Amanda Tyler, executive director of Baptist Joint Committee…
Pastors send out a mobile billboard to warn Virginia Beach residents of this weekend’s ReAwaken America Tour
They’re back, and critics of Christian nationalism are sounding the alarm once again — this time with a mobile billboard that calls the ReAwaken America Tour a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The controversial multi-city event hit the road in April…
Does the Johnson Amendment have any teeth left?
Donald Trump failed to “totally destroy” the Johnson Amendment as he promised evangelical Christian supporters, but a current case may demonstrate whether the no-politicking policy for tax-exempt organizations has any teeth left. The Johnson Amendment is a 1954 law that…
Shame on you, Pastor Greg Locke, for saying autism is demon possession
I grew up hearing that mental health disorders and illnesses of every kind were evil. Because I was told these things from an isolated world of fundamentalist Christianity, I was not surprised to see Pastor Greg Locke’s sermon suggesting autism,…
Looking for a religious exemption to a COVID vaccine mandate? Most denominations won’t help you
Unless you’re a member of a Dutch Reformed church or a Christian Science church, making a claim for a religious exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine as a Christian is going to be hard to prove. According to research by Vanderbilt…
The need to be persecuted
Yesterday, I started teaching a new series to my adult Bible study class on 1 Thessalonians. As part of the introduction to this Pauline epistle, I attempted to explain to the class the kind of real persecution these early Christians…
Pastor Greg Locke is all over the internet spreading conspiracies; here’s why you shouldn’t believe him
Two years before he divorced his wife of 21 years and married his secretary, pastor Greg Locke rose to internet fame through a Facebook video decrying the morality of Target restroom policies that allowed people to use the restroom they felt expressed…