In the darkness of night, after sharing the Passover meal with his disciples, Jesus led them to a garden called Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. This was not just any garden. Its very name tells a…
Trump’s persecution of Mahmoud Khalil sets up a First Amendment showdown
Mahmoud Khalil, who helped lead protests at Columbia University against civilian casualties in Gaza, was arrested by U.S. immigration officers and sent to a detention center in Louisiana. This activates alarms in my First Amendment-loving mind. A series of unusual…
Wake up, liberal Democrats; and I guess you’ll have to abduct me, too, President Trump
Since only 1.1% of the U.S. population is Muslim, let’s play “Six Degrees to a Muslim Friend.” Years ago, Karen Park — the child of missionaries to Chile — introduced me to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The seminary introduced me…
Rethinking Western Christianity on Palestine
The Gaza war has exposed a painful truth: the silence and complicity of many Western Christian leaders and churches in the face of atrocities against the Palestinian people. This silence shakes the very foundations of our faith and values, forcing…
NYT’s ad denial sparks more debate about Israel and ‘genocide’
A newspaper’s rejection of an advertisement calling Israel’s war in Gaza “genocide” underscores the debate over the term for intentionally attempting to destroy all or part of targeted people groups. “The refusal of The New York Times to run paid…
Christian Zionism: the blind spot in faith-based activism against Christian nationalism
Christian nationalism in the United States seems more alive than ever. Project 2025 threatens to erode the separation of church and state, Donald Trump is hailed as a messiah following his assassination attempt, and at the state level, Ten Commandments…
A troubling question: Has Southern Baptist mission work among Palestinians been a bad investment?
Troub, short for Troublemaker, is the well-earned nickname of a fellow I got to know some years back. You say “up” and “hot,” he says “down” and “cold. Probably comes from his stormy days while studying at one of our…
The canary in the American judicial mine Christians are ignoring
With so many warning signs of rising theocracy being ignored, what’s one more? Metaphorically speaking, in terms of U.S. religion and politics, we might pass off our “shortness of breath” over politicians’ chronic dishonesty as our just being out of…
Yes, ‘Palestine’ is a place despite what Facebook memes may have told you
As Israel wages war against Hamas in Gaza, many Americans have declared themselves armchair generals who think they understand everything about one of the most complex geo-religio-political conflicts in world history. Dear readers, Facebook is a poor resource for a…
Like the Quakers, can we imagine peace between Israel and Hamas?
In what may seem an exercise in futility, the Quakers have produced a peace proposal for Hamas and Israel. I have great respect for the Quakers, starting with the influence they had on President Abraham Lincoln. I have been greatly…
Netanyahu has turned Israel into an evil empire
The government of Israel, as led by Benjamin Netanyahu and empowered by his right-wing coalition in the Knesset, has become an evil empire. And their chief enablers are in the United States. This is a hard truth that must be…
U.S. delegation of Christians returns from Gaza with urgent appeal
“Gaza has become a killing field,” according to a delegation of 23 American Christians, pastors and laypeople just returned from a fact-finding mission to the region. “Israel’s response against the Palestinian people is disproportionate by orders of magnitude. The atrocities…