On Wednesday, May 21, President Donald Trump once again sullied the presidency and our nation’s reputation by ambushing South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with a made-for-social-media propaganda stunt that was peppered with lies and misleading video about an alleged white…
May 13, 1985: Philadelphia’s Fire Still Burns
Forty years ago, on May 13, 1985, a tragedy unfolded in the Cobbs Creek section of West Philadelphia that would forever scar the conscience of a city and shock the world. On that day, the Philadelphia Police Department — under…
Kindishness: Give it a rest area, Alabamerica
Lost in thought, I missed my exit. That’s not unusual for me. I once drove almost half an hour past the exit to my own house. This time it was a fortunate mistake. I was driving from Tennessee, where our…
Here are all the words Trump wants banned — in one article
American democracy faces its greatest peril since 1861. President Donald Trump and his Project 2025-infused zealots are ripping through two centuries of progress in human rights, civil rights, sexual rights and democratic rights. Historically, race always has been the elephant…
Claims of ‘anti-Christian bias’ sound to some voters like a message about race, not just religion
President Donald Trump and members of his administration have long used allegations of anti-Christian discrimination as a rallying cry for supporters, arguing that policies and laws on issues like school prayer and LGBTQ+ rights threaten Christians’ right to express their beliefs.
How racism fueled the Eaton Fire’s destruction in Altadena − a scholar explains why discrimination can raise fire risk for Black Californians
The damage from the Eaton Fire wasn’t indiscriminate. The blaze that ravaged the city of Altadena, California, in January 2025, killing 17 people and consuming over 9,000 buildings, destroyed Black Altadenans’ homes in greatest proportion.
New PBS documentary explores White Christianity vs. Black Christianity
The past decade has created a new dialogue on issues of racial reconciliation and the role religion plays in it. From Robert P. Jones’ White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity to Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s…
Dismantling Education Department is straight out of Project 2025
News that President Donald Trump is preparing to sign an executive order dissolving the U.S. Department of Education has riveted attention on Trump’s adherence to Project 2025, a conservative evangelical blueprint for dismantling the federal government. The Wall Street Journal…
Are we a democracy or a republic? Why words matter
“The United States is not a democracy! It’s a republic!” my independent Baptist high school government teacher declared over the sound of gunfire and cannons exploding in the Civil War re-enactment across the street. Almost three decades later, the debate…
Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Malcolm Foley
Malcolm Foley is a historian whose doctoral work centered on lynchings and the church’s response to them. The pastor of Mosaic Waco and special advisor to the president for Equity and Campus Engagement at Baylor University is helping to drive…
The return of public racism
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., for no discernible reason has claimed the maternal death rate in Louisiana isn’t as bad if you don’t count Black women. According to Cassidy, a medical doctor, the state’s high maternal death rates are more standard…
Dismantling DEI is about making America white again, Lewis warns
Donald Trump’s prohibition of government diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives has nothing to do with fairness and everything to do with subduing marginalized communities, pastor, activist and author Jacqui Lewis said during a recent episode of “The State of Belief”…