A half century ago, Bobby Russell wrote a song about infidelity, murder and a messed-up legal system. The chorus summarizes the result and gives the song its now-famous name: That’s the night that the lights went out in Georgia. That’s…
This progressive church reviewed its history and discovered it hadn’t ‘shown up’ very often on racial issues
Anyone entering the sanctuary of Highland Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., for the first time will inevitably leave talking one thing above all — the beauty of the stained-glass windows on all sides of the English Gothic-style worship space. Look…
In New Hampshire, conservative moms group offers a bounty to report teachers
As the furor over Critical Race Theory continues to dominate local school board meetings from coast to coast, a group of conservative New Hampshire mothers has upped the ante. The New Hampshire chapter of Moms for Liberty announced it will…
Accountability for the execution of Ahmaud Arbery: More is needed
I pounded the arm of my chair as each of the jury decisions, nine counts in all, were read by the judge in the case of the Ahmaud Arbery murder trial. The triggerman was found guilty of all counts. The…
Color-blindness, consistency and the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict
Right there in the middle of the most famous speech in 20th century American history —Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech — was essentially a pipe-dream prayer that King’s “four little children will one day live in a nation…
Pastor and college president contends wealth gap fuels racial marginalization
While racial progress has been made in some aspects of U.S. life, racial divisions will not be bridged if the country’s large racial wealth gap persists, a Baptist pastor and college president told an interfaith conference on race. At the…
In Wisconsin, the NRA won
While its business operations lie in bankrupt shambles, the National Rifle Association won the day in a Wisconsin courtroom this week. The acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse on all charges related to the murder of two men and injury of a…
What’s wrong with saying you ‘don’t see color’?
In an effort to prove that they are not part of the American pandemic of racism, I’ve had quite a number of well-meaning people tell me they “don’t see color.” As much as I appreciate what they are trying to…
Why I’m among the unchurched today
In his Nov. 9 analysis, “The Church Is Losing Its Way,” Rob Sellers outlines the numerous ways in which the church is failing. In addition to Sellers’ list (irrelevance, unchallenging, unaccepting, and, most interestingly, unChristlike), I would like to add…