As anticipated the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals last week. These 17 goals will help set a global agenda for the next 15 years (also called around the U.N. “Agenda 2030”). The SDGs are…
Kelly Gissendaner, the death penalty, and being pro-life
The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development. This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global…
Clergy performing same-sex marriages: A new twist on a subject that makes us squirm
Baptists of most ages will cringe at the rest of this sentence, but here goes: Sexuality is in the air. This subject makes us squirm more than a too-long sermon on a too-hard pew in a too-hot church. But as…
What if Ben Carson was right?
At the BGAV Annual Meeting a few years ago, I attended a breakout session led by the Religious Liberty Committee. Admittedly, I don’t remember what the presentation was about. But I do remember a conversation I had with one of…
How do we balance religious liberty and rule of law?
If you could collect a dime every time U.S. media mention “religious liberty” between now and Election Day 2016, you could fund your own Super-PAC — or maybe even bankroll your own run for the White House. We’re going to…
The consequences of a worldview
It seems like each new school year lately brings another scandalous story of something stupid a college fraternity has done. In my home state of Virginia, Old Dominion University’s Sigma Nu fraternity is this year’s culprit. As parents were arriving…
I’m tired of saying “I’m Sorry!”
I’m sorry. It may be the most common phrase in my work. I am sorry about the death; I am sorry about the diagnosis; I am sorry you didn’t like the music, the sermon, the temperature. It seems that I…
Kim Davis: Blinded by belief
So, Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who refused to sign marriage licenses for same sex couples, went to jail. And many political conservatives and religious fundamentalists praised her faith — as if she’s the first person ever jailed for following…
What has the United Nations done for me lately?
What has the U.N. done for me? Presuming you live in the west, the United States specifically, I suspect your answer is, “not much.” This august and yet cumbersome, very serious and yet mock-worthy, institution exists in the minds of…
Why I have pity for Kentucky clerk Kim Davis
I have to admit I have looked at defiant Rowan County clerk Kim Davis with some degree of disdain. I thought, “Here is just another example of religious bigotry and hypocrisy to showcase to the world.” Then on Monday of…
What if schools enjoyed pork-barrel largesse and the military depended on corporate charity?
One recent slow morning, in late August, the grocery stores’ circulars in the newspaper caught my attention. I began to wonder how things might be different if certain fortunes were reversed. Instead of “back-to-school” it’s “back-to-basic-training” discount offers. Imagine, if…
Kim Davis, religious liberty, and why many Christians are getting it wrong
Religious liberty is at the core of the Kim Davis saga, just not the way most people think. As I watch the news and hear countless pundits and politicians cite concerns over religious liberty, I can’t help but think –…