A Baptist church-state expert welcomed President Obama’s March 16 announcement of a nominee for a Supreme Court seat vacated by the death last month of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. In a Rose Garden ceremony Wednesday morning, the president announced his…
‘Evangelical elite’ just doesn’t get it, claims pastor and Trump supporter
A Southern Baptist pastor who has been supportive of GOP presidential front runner Donald Trump says leaders of an “evangelical elite” vocally opposed to Trump are out of touch with people in the pew. “There is an absolute disconnect between…
The unseen side of Bernie Sanders’s young voter revolution
The appeal of Bernie Sanders’s policy to young liberals is well-known. The appeal of his ‘spiritual’ outlook is less discussed, but potent.
Is Trump a moderate or a maniac? Divinity school professor isn’t sure
Last fall, Wake Forest School of Divinity scholar John Senior celebrated the release of his first book, which examines the moral complexities that shape how politicians govern. The book also proposes that those who govern should view their positions as…
Charlotte approves measure to halt LGBT discrimination
By Bob Allen The city council in Charlotte, N.C., passed an ordinance Feb. 22 to prevent businesses from discriminating against LGBT customers, setting the stage for a battle with the Republican-controlled state legislature. Council members voted 7-4 in favor of…
What about political correctness?
In his first inaugural address in March 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt insisted that “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Nevertheless, responding to the widespread fear expressed by people across the nation, on February 19, 1942,…
SBC leader says candidates should talk about Supreme Court picks
By Bob Allen The president of the Southern Baptist Convention says the unexpected death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Feb. 14 raises stakes even higher in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church in…
Politics in the pulpit: One pastor’s approach
Election years can be volatile, unpredictable, and filled with heated political rhetoric. And these days, it is not unusual for prominent pastors and local clergy to join the fray of bombastic oratory. While I do not think pastors should…
Calling out ‘American Evangelicalism’
It is time, way past time, to call out “American Evangelicalism” for what it is: a political movement that simply baptizes hard-right, secular political ideology in some religious varnish. Hence, my intentional identification of this movement sans the words “Christian”…
The ‘downward death spiral’ of hypocrisy
January 28, 2016 By Marv Knox / Editor Which speaks louder-words or deeds? This isn’t a benign question, particularly this week. The Iowa caucus officially kicks off the 2016 presidential primary season Feb. 1. As Americans prepare to choose a…
Christian first, American second: On prioritizing (and performing) presidential identities
By Thomas J. Whitley Back in September 2015 presidential candidate Ben Carson said that for a Muslim to be president “you have to reject the tenets of Islam.”
Southern Baptist florist to testify before Indiana Senate
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist florist sued after she refused to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding is set to appear today before the Indiana Senate Rules Committee to oppose two bills prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. Barronelle…