Editor’s note: It is BNG’s practice, when possible, to present diverse viewpoints in our opinion section. The piece below was written at the editor’s request to represent a conservative viewpoint that will resonate with readers who consider themselves centrists and…
What can we learn from First Baptist Orlando?
A story BNG first reported more than three weeks ago came to a disheartening conclusion Sunday, March 8, when Chris Ogden resigned as campus pastor for First Baptist Church of Orlando’s Horizon West campus. Ogden, who by all accounts was…
Democracy is not a spectator sport
There are moments in American history when the question is not which party will win, but whether self-government itself is working as intended. This feels like one of those moments. On Feb. 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born into a…
Update: TPUSA event at First Baptist Orlando appears to be canceled
Turning Point USA apparently has canceled First Baptist Church of Orlando as a stop on its “Make Heaven Crowded” tour. BNG reported Tuesday morning that a campus pastor had been placed on administrative leave after questioning the church hosting the…
Tuesday was a night for the ‘nones’
Tuesday night marked an interesting election cycle, even for an off-year election. Three major races dominated the conversation: The New York City mayoral race, the New Jersey gubernatorial race, and the Virginia gubernatorial race. What made these races interesting is…
Greear’s Everyday Revolutionary calls Christians beyond culture war
Half a century ago, evangelicals were known for evangelism, not politics, but 52-year-old J.D. Greear never knew that world. He grew during the era of Jerry Falwell, not Billy Graham, and was on his way to a career in politics…
These are the helpful conversations about religion we need
The assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University is undoubtedly going to lead to a lot of conversation about our identity as a nation, the nature of our problems and how we pursue justice. One of the contexts for…
The grief of a caregiver
For many years, my journey in the “care of souls” has led me to walk alongside those who are grieving. This path has taken me from a ministry setting to managing a mental health department in a maximum security prison,…
Two great divides
I titled my last column “Divides” because as I said there: “Divides confront us daily. The digital divide, political divides, economic divides, class divides, educational divides.” The focus of that piece was the divide between the world of television commercials…
What’s your church: Republican? Democrat? Independent? Gospel?
On July 7, 2025, the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas Tyler Division, issued the following ruling: When a house of worship in good faith speaks to its congregation, through its customary channels of communication on matters of faith…
Divides
Divides confront us daily. The digital divide, political divides, economic divides, class divides, educational divides. You can probably name some others. I still have cable TV. I’m not into streaming. Cable TV has commercials. Most mornings the Today Show is…
An invitation to speak prophetically but not endorse candidates
On July 7, the IRS announced it no longer will enforce restrictions on places of worship endorsing political candidates provided those endorsements occur in the regular communication of the congregation to its members. This is a suspension of enforcement of…