“I handed my son over to the devil,” Joe Alarcon told me during an interview for BNG’s upcoming podcast, “Non-Disclosure,” which features interviews from survivors and their families about the serial sexual abuse that occurred at Kamp Kanakuk. Alarcon’s son,…
Pregnant veterans, criminalizing abortion and opposition to IVF
Reproductive rights continue to weaken in the United States under the Trump administration, and pregnant people are dying. It’s nearly impossible to keep up with the news as states continue to change their laws to make it harder for pregnant…
The attack on comprehensive sexual education, from federal law to the SBC
In initiatives to remove “woke” content from school curricula across the United States, comprehensive sexual education — or CSE — is under attack. CSE programs diverge from abstinence-only curricula by nature of the problems they attempt to solve. Abstinence-only curricula…
‘Wide open spaces’: Reflections from a summer camp chaperone
Earlier this summer, I was holed up in my temporary dorm room at Converse University, groaning at my laptop while my students and our other church chaperones were outside practicing their performances for the annual camp variety show. I heard…
Two more men accuse Michael Tait of sexual assault
Two more men have come forward alleging singer Michael Tait sexually assaulted them. This time, the survivors say, the abuse occurred while Tait still was in the band DC Talk. In an interview with The Guardian, former Evanescence bandmember Jason…
Mark Driscoll, Chip Gaines and toxic Christian masculinity
“You’re the one who farted in your own elevator, so you’ve gotta smell it,” said Mark Driscoll in a video reacting to a 40-second clip of Joanna and Chip Gaines’ new show, Back to the Frontier. The show aims to…
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…
All the people the recently proposed Obscenity Act does not protect
Sen. Mike Lee of Utah has proposed the Interstate Obscenity Definition Act. The bill would change the legal definition of obscenity across all 50 states, redefining the term with more vague language than before. It aims to do this by…
Kanakuk survivors speak on nondisclosure agreements at House hearing
Last Wednesday, Kanakuk survivors and other activists spoke at the Missouri House of Representatives in front of a Judiciary Committee hearing on one of multiple bills currently being considered related to child sexual abuse. The bill under discussion is part…
BNG’s top analysis pieces in 2024 looked at megachurch pastors and Project 2025
The most-read Baptist News Global analysis pieces in 2024 were dominated by instances of clergy sexual abuse and the misogyny and hyper-masculinity being preached from megachurch pulpits. Embattled personalities like Mark Driscoll and Matt Chandler were among the leaders whose…
Paris Hilton’s ‘Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act’ passes with bipartisan vote
A week before Christmas, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act in a bipartisan — and nearly unanimous — vote of 373-33. Earlier in the week, the Senate passed the bill unanimously, and President Joe…
‘The Gift of Christmas’ and other over-the-top celebrations of Jesus’ birth
A few weeks ago, I woke up to a text message saying it had snowed overnight, despite there having been no measurable snowfall in North Carolina since 2022 nor any forecasts of snow for that morning. Intrigued, I looked out…