History is not a tidy procession of events. It is a drama of human beings — morally mixed, hopeful and fearful, capable of courage and compromise — acting in a world that resists their intentions. To read history well is…
‘Out came this image’
“Grok, turn her around and pull her pants down and put a thong on her.” On Christmas Day, Elon Musk gifted the cesspool he calls X with the ability to let any user modify an image on the social media…
Letters to Mary: Women have creative power
Advent shows us something about power that the palace always forgets. Real strength doesn’t powder its face with contempt. The authority that spoke galaxies into being entered the world through a woman’s body and trusted her to say yes. — Derek…
Enough: A Christian response to weaponizing our faith
The assassination of Charlie Kirk has shaken the country, both because of the horror of political violence and because of what the aftermath is revealing about the spiritual bankruptcy of our political culture. The headlines and hot takes were swift:…
10 Bible verses Christian nationalists take out of context to seize power
Christian nationalists are world-class experts in seizing power by taking Bible verses out of context. Growing up, my independent Baptist high school constantly used Philippians 4:13 as proof we could win the state championship, Jeremiah 29:11 as proof God would…
John MacArthur met his own definition of a false prophet
How should we respond when someone who uses theology to promote ignorant, misogynistic, racist, power mongering authoritarianism dies? To use biblical language, we might call these people false prophets, ravenous wolves, deceivers, anti-Christs, evil men, seducers, lovers of self, foolish…
‘Not of this world’: Jesus, Caesar and Holy Week
In Luke’s Gospel, the Jesus story begins with these words: “And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.” The Gospel of John describes a…
The evil among us
This week, Christians around the world begin the observance of Lent — a period of repentance and self-reflection. It is no accident that the Revised Common Lectionary includes the story of Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness in the readings for…
The straight white men are not all right
As each day since the presidential inauguration has passed, I’ve found myself wondering more and more, “What’s wrong with straight white men?”* I feel like we’re living some version of “Revenge of the Straight White Men” because they are so…
A god of their own making
During his inaugural address Jan. 20, Donald Trump sought to assuage a long-held fear among religious conservatives. “My recent election,” he said, “is a mandate to completely and totally reverse … all of these many betrayals that have taken place…
As long as MAGA evangelicals are in power, sexual ethics will be in exile, but that’s not the end of the story
During Thanksgiving week, I watched two movies: Wicked and Gladiator II. Both movies reminded me of evangelicals up to their television satellites and steeples in secular politics. I watched the citizens of Oz pour into the streets, singing, “The wicked…
The 3 temptations of Christ are similar to Trump’s temptations to evangelicals
Many distractions in this life take a person off of their true path. Even as I put these words together, I think about everything unrelated to my writing. I am thinking about my career and need to find work that gets me…