Jesse C. Fletcher Seminary in San Antonio is an exciting place for women and men to prepare for Christian ministries of many kinds. The young seminary — whose core values are servant leadership, authentic community, engagement and inclusivity — extends…
What if you decided to love your child before you knew they were gay?
Dear parent, I’m writing today with a tough ask. I’m asking you not only to give a loving reception if your child “comes out” as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer. I’m asking you to imagine that day even if…
Analysis: What to expect from The Widening of God’s Mercy
It’s not every day a Christian leader has courage to change his mind on a theological position that risks reputation and social acceptance. But that is what New Testament scholar Richard Hays has done in a new book, written with…
Bishop Gene Robinson looks back on a remarkable life
Gene Robinson has trouble believing his own remarkable life has been real. “When I look back at my life, I see myself as a third person looking back on what happened 20 years ago,” he said. “I think, ‘How in…
Expelled from his own denomination, Oord still holds out hope for change
A Nazarene pastor and professor who was labeled a heretic and expelled from membership in his denomination told Baptist News Global he still has hope for the church of his childhood to break free of its impulses toward legalism. “I…
After decades of advances, support for LGBTQ rights slipping slightly
After reaching an all-time high of 55% in 2021 and 2022, Republican support for same-sex marriage fell to an all-time low of 46% in 2024, even among the party’s youngest voters. This was true for a June Gallup poll and…
If only First Baptist Dallas could rebuild with more love and less hate
The past week has been a roller coaster of emotions. Every time I’ve refreshed a news app or checked my social media feed, something shocking and groundbreaking has occurred. In a world where the words “breaking news” have felt cliché,…
Here’s why UMC delegates will face new twists in electing bishops this week
Bishop elections in The United Methodist Church are typically the kind of institutional politics only those with a major stake in the organization care about. This year, however, delegates to the UMC’s jurisdictional conferences coming July 10-12 face a new…
Purity culture is alive and well in the Christian nationalist agenda for public schools
Last week, I attended a school board meeting for the Southlake-Carroll Independent School District in North Texas which has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education over its changes to Title IX. This is the school district in…