In 1916, a 26-year-old Darley Hiden Ramsey submitted a motto for the newly commissioned town seal of Asheville, N.C. His choice, levavi oculos meos in montes, “I lift my eyes to the hills” was taken from Psalm 121. Scholars consider…
Megan Basham is lying again
Many of us keep wondering how the evangelical church could have wandered so far into the wilderness of untruth. The answer is evangelical influencers like Megan Basham. She’s not alone, however. She’s in a select group of evangelical liars that…
What a debater thought about the vice presidential debate
Debates always get my attention. I was a high school and college debate student. I have studied argumentation for decades. While the format of the political debates is artificial and not really an actual debate, I will take what I…
Donald Trump and the story of the magical phone app for immigrants
Donald Trump wants everyone to believe immigrants are bad. The formula is simplistic, misleading and false, but it is the sum total of his immigration policy. The simplicity, the impulsivity, and the emotionalism make Trump so tempting: Immigrants are bad….
The Big White Lie: Racist propaganda dishonors the image of God
Sir Winston Churchill famously said, “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” This could be applied to propaganda, as it is often based on blatant lies or embellishments. The…
Trump and Vance’s Springfield lie is ‘another test for Christian America,’ Russell Moore says
The Republican Party lie about Haitian immigrants eating family pets in Springfield, Ohio, is another test for Christian America, according to Russell Moore. Moore, editor of Christianity Today, wrote an op-ed for The Atlantic about the false claims of Donald…
I grew up in Springfield; here’s the real story on what’s happening there
My old hometown rarely makes the national news, but Springfield, Ohio is in the spotlight thanks to Donald Trump, his running mate and former Buckeye JD Vance, and fact-challenged social media posters who have exploited an influx of Haitian immigrants…
Elected officials who spread immigration lies pose a threat to public safety, rights groups say
Members of Congress who actively spread anti-immigrant conspiracy theories pose a significant threat to public safety and democracy, according to a report released by eight human, civil and immigrant rights groups. The “Bigoted Conspiracy Caucus Report” examines the power and…
Shepherds for Sale and the evangelical civil war
I thought it was strange. For months prior to the July 30 release of Megan Basham’s bestselling Shepherds for Sale, Christian firebrands on X were counting down the days until the book hit “Big Eva” like a wrecking ball. They…