There’s a common thread in two seemingly unrelated cases in the news right now: The Christians singing worship songs on a commercial airline flight and the former high school football coach in Washington State who insisted on holding public prayers…
It’s time to stop the insanity that is killing public education
I am the child of a public schoolteacher. I am the parent of a son who has been a public schoolteacher and who remains a private instructor in a public high school. Many dear friends are public schoolteachers. As a…
Next BNG webinar will feature conversation with David Gushee on his new primer on Christian ethics
BNG columnist David Gushee will join BNG Executive Director Mark Wingfield for a Jan. 14 webinar discussing Gushee’s new book, Introducing Christian Ethics. The webinar — beginning at 9 a.m. Central/10 a.m. Eastern — is free but advance registration is…
Grace and peace to you — at the tip of a sword
For weeks now, I’ve been teaching verse by verse through the book of 1 Thessalonians on Sunday mornings. Last week and this week, we hit the hinge between the last verse of 1 Thessalonians and the opening lines of 2…
The Ahmaud Arbery murder trial encapsulates the two Americas today, but there’s a silent third group
One of the things that’s easy to forget about the conviction of three white men for the cold-blooded murder of Ahmaud Arbery is that there almost wasn’t a trial. There were no arrests for two months after the murder. Two…
Dear white people like me, this is what it means to accuse Black people of causing the very crimes committed against them
If you want to understand what our Black brothers and sisters have been saying for years about always getting the blame for the sins white people commit against them, look no further than a courtroom in Brunswick, Ga., today for…
In Wisconsin, the NRA won
While its business operations lie in bankrupt shambles, the National Rifle Association won the day in a Wisconsin courtroom this week. The acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse on all charges related to the murder of two men and injury of a…
Pavlovitz seeks to create ‘safe spaces’ for hard conversations through his blog and books
American Christianity must provide safe spaces for theological and social reflection if the nation’s growing population of “nones” and disenfranchised believers are to be engaged and served meaningfully by the church, author and blogger John Pavlovitz said during a Nov….
The one thing that most predicts a pastor’s success
Of all the things I’ve learned through a few decades of mentoring young writers and pastors, one predictor of success stands out above all. This one thing rises above raw talent, education or privilege — all of which may play…