School vouchers may not be explicitly on the ballot this fall, but gubernatorial elections in at least six states could influence the future of private school choice, education savings accounts and the use of public dollars for private education. The…
It’s hard to unknot religion from Christian nationalism, panelists say
Religion cannot be separated from the story of white Christian nationalism and white supremacy in America, said participants in a Sept. 19 panel discussion at Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky. The panel was convened to respond to an…
If you’re laughing off criticism of Trump, you’re the problem
Russell Moore made a great point a couple weeks ago when he called out evangelical Trump supporters for making jokes rather than owning up to the evil Donald Trump is wreaking on the world. His particular point was laughing off…
Trump names three to religious freedom commission
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom now has its full contingent of nine members, with President Donald Trump naming three new members. USCIRF is comprised of nine private sector commissioners, with three selected by the sitting president, two by…
The year of the ecclesial abstention doctrine
We’ve written more about the ecclesial abstention doctrine this year than I have in my entire career in religious journalism. Increasingly, secular courts are appealing to this doctrine to dismiss — or avoid — cases that present thorny debates among…
There’s a Texas GOP candidate worse than Ken Paxton
Believe it or not, there’s a Republican candidate for public office in Texas who is worse than Ken Paxton. Bo French is so bad that even Sen. John Cornyn called him out on social media this weekend. That’s right, Cornyn,…
Why nondenominational churches aren’t Baptist churches in disguise
The data post from Ryan Burge caught my eye — as usual. But one of the comments below the post really got my attention. “Let’s be real, non-denoms are basically Baptists,” the commenter said. This was in response to Burge’s…
Does Methodist connectionalism serve large and small churches equally?
The battle between Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas and its regional governing body in The United Methodist Church may boil down to whether large and small churches in the denomination can continue to operate by the same governing…
Our words matter but our lives matter more
I recently read Jordann McMahan’s powerful opinion piece at BNG about her experience as a queer student at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary. Jordann writes with remarkable vulnerability about an experience that is complicated. She does not paint every professor, student…
When the abused become abusive
Here’s what happens when you dare to ask questions about the common narrative of the clergy sexual abuse survivor community. You get lambasted online with comments like these made against me over the weekend: “Mariah Kerry (not Carey) commented on…
Why do we keep sounding the alarm?
A common criticism I get here at BNG and that some of my progressive clergy friends get in their congregations is this: “Why do you have to keep talking about Donald Trump and Christian nationalism all the time? Could you…
3 views on Donald Trump held by American Christians
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…