The Trump administration claims its effort to end cashless bail is about reducing crime, but immigration and racial justice activists warn it’s nothing more than an assault on the poor and people of color. “By reviving cash bail, the administration…
If you act right … Actually, it takes more than acting
Then the Lord said to Cain: Why are you angry? Why are you dejected? If you act rightly, you will be accepted; but if not, sin lies in wait at the door: its urge is for you, yet (but) you…
From Hamilton to subversive justice
When Baptist News Global Executive Director Mark Wingfield asked me five years ago if he could publish my piece comparing King George in Hamilton to Calvinism’s God, I had no idea the opportunities his invitation would bring me. One of my favorite…
Dissent against injustice inflicted upon ‘the least of these,’ García warns
“Dissent against any ideology that seeks to replace Christ … with political power, nationalism, lies or fear,” outgoing Moderator Juan García urged the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship during its annual General Assembly in St. Louis June 26. “As true Baptists, we…
‘See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’
As Christians in America, we are called to be salt and light in a world that desperately needs guidance, truth and justice. However, there seems to be a growing trend within the Christian community to adopt the posture of “see…
The parable of the Bad Samaritan
A rich Samaritan came upon a poor family by the side of the road. Their home had been destroyed, and they could not afford a new one. They needed medical care and vaccinations and schooling for their children. For that…
Pastors, now what?
If you are like me, the pastor of a small church in a small town, you might be thinking to yourself, “Now what?” I mean, we have a big year ahead. If your church still does vacation Bible school, it’s…
Silence is a dangerous thing
The year was 1967. The United States was in the middle of the Vietnam War. Many citizens wondered why troops were sent there and exactly why they were fighting. In this year, many Black and brown individuals raised their voices,…
The anger and disappointment I feel for my fellow Americans
As drenched as I am in unmerited privilege — as a white, heterosexual, male, American citizen of above-average means — I know I am placed at much less personal risk than many of my neighbors by Donald Trump’s election. That…
Justice is always coming
I have spent much time processing the outcome of the presidential election. The results left me downcast and perplexed. Not because the outcome was opposite of the way I voted, but because of the swiftness and definitiveness with which the…
Christians and the fight for justice after Trump’s return
As we reflect on the state of our nation after the results of the 2024 election, we are confronted with a renewed sense of division, uncertainty and urgency. Donald Trump’s rise to power once again has raised profound questions about…
‘We know the difference between American Christianity and Jesus,’ Humphries says
Christianity for many Native Americans conjures memories of stolen land, oppressive boarding schools and the forced sterilization of women, Mariah Humphries said in the opening address at Fellowship Southwest’s Compassion and Justice Conference. “This is what Christianity represents for Native…