There is a divide among Christians in the United States about how to respond to the urgency of our present crisis. Leaving aside for a moment those who claim the name of Christ but gleefully support an immoral president doing…
Matthew Vines sets off a debate over what it means to be ‘queer’
One of the leading apologists for gay Christians has created a firestorm of controversy among Christians in the LGBTQ community with a column published in The New York Times June 30. Matthew Vines is the author of the op-ed headlined,…
Dear Mike Johnson, be careful what you ask for
For decades, political conservatives have been clamoring for “originalist” and “textualist” interpretations of the U.S. Constitution because they want to conserve the frozen-in-time ideals of the Founders. This is why they loved former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who was…
Insufficient
The concept of scriptural sufficiency as taught by modern-day Calvinists is untenable and dangerous. In sum, the Bible is not “sufficient” for all truth as too many neo-Calvinists contend. The Bible is, in fact, insufficient in many ways. And that’s…
Purple churches and ‘moderate’ Baptists: A theological response
In recent weeks, BNG published two pieces that emerge from a similar progressive theological position. The first is Mark Wingfield’s “Here’s What I Hear When You Say You’re A ‘Purple’ Church.” The second is Braxton Wade’s “Why Are We Still…
Here’s what I hear when you say you’re a ‘purple’ church
A fair number of churches these days are proud of being called “purple” churches, meaning they welcome and celebrate both Republicans and Democrats among their members. That may have been fine in 1990 but means something entirely different today. Now,…
A trans man and his Baptist pastor reflect on a decade of friendship
Ten years ago today, BNG published an article by Mark that opened the door to a friendship between us that spans a decade of tremendous change in American culture and politics. On May 13, 2016, BNG published Mark’s opinion piece…
What does JD Vance think Christian ‘moral principles’ are?
Maybe like me you missed this zinger back in April. Amid the dispute between the White House and the Vatican, Vice President JD Vance posted on X April 18: “Pope Leo preaches the gospel, as he should, and that will…
How many more signs do you need?
Every week, I get emails from readers accusing us at BNG of being the Devil’s agents for publishing articles critical of Donald Trump. Inevitably, these writers think we just don’t understand the Bible or politics or culture. They know it…
Donald Trump is the most despised person in America
“Trump made me an activist,” 62-year-old disabled veteran John Mena told the Washington Post Saturday. Mena, who was born in Ecuador but grew up in the United States, showed up Saturday for a No Kings rally near Los Angeles City…
How to write an obituary
Recently, I heard a radio news story about how people are turning to artificial intelligence to write obituaries for their loved ones when they pass. And I thought to myself, “Writing an obituary isn’t that hard; why do people need…
What’s fair for Cesar Chavez is fair for Donald Trump
Just a few weeks ago, I heard Dolores Huerta speak at the “Together for Democracy” conference in Washington, D.C. At nearly 96 years of age, she brought the crowd to their feet with chants and singing that raised the roof….