“So what’s your religion?” the young man wanted to know. “My ancestors were Anabaptists,” I said, “and I find myself identifying with that tradition.” “So, what’s an Anabaptist?” “Well, they are sometimes called the radical wing of the Protestant Reformation,”…
The problem with not talking about politics at church
Here’s the problem with saying we must never talk about politics at church: We immediately cede to politicians the right to define what is political and what is theological. And then the church loses its voice on theology because important…
Joining the team: In politics, it’s time to become diehard fans again
In the United States, we love our sports. There’s something both weird and fascinating about it. I’ve never been what you would call a diehard fan (although the 10 years I lived in the Midwest was enough to turn my…
The Whore of Babylon: Pimping the Body of Christ to the highest political bidder
“God is on our side” has led to more bloodletting in the form of crusades, wars, colonialism and genocides than any other human caused catastrophe — a truth in which all faith traditions have, at one time or another, participated. All churches have played the “whore,” falling into the temptation of tailoring the liberative Good News to sell a political ideology or party as ordained by God.
Vote with our actions, love with our voices
If I asked which presidential candidate has been described as being “aided and abetted by the powers of darkness,” about whom would you guess this quote is referring too? Where might the quote have come from? Does the quote seem…
Candidates rebuff ‘say something nice’ challenge
A South Carolina Baptist layman voiced disappointment after the three remaining candidates for U.S. president rebuffed his challenge to a one-day moratorium on incivility. For the 10th anniversary of Say Something Nice Day, founder Mitch Carnell asked presidential candidates to…
The first godless U.S. election
There has never been an openly non-Christian president of the United States. There has never been an openly atheist senator. God, seemingly, is a rock-solid prerequisite for American political life. Or it was, until this year.
Legislation would bar religious discrimination in immigration
The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty joined 30 other religious and religious-liberty organizations in a broad coalition urging passage of legislation making it illegal for Donald Trump, if elected president, to bar Muslim immigration. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) unveiled the…
What if we actually applied the Bible to our politics?
What if the lens we viewed politics through was the Bible? No, really! Seriously. For me, it might go something like this: The way of Christ compels me to love God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength. The…