It is always valuable to engage the other side. Especially when one finds the other side utterly bewildering. The other side I am trying to engage is American political conservatism. My guide today is Matthew Continetti, a brilliant conservative policy…
The U.S. Supreme Court in a four-letter word: Bork
In recent days, the Supreme Court of the United States has issued several landmark decisions. In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, six of the nine justices decided to overrule the court’s 1973 landmark decision in Roe v. Wade, which…
The Trump Card: How white evangelicals are being played
As a Christian leader, I will not be silent about the current state of white evangelicalism in America. I must lay out the facts, clearly and succinctly. Due to the rise of Donald Trump and Trumpism, white American evangelicalism has…
Afghanistan: A tragic example of an unjust war
I was born in the waning years of the Vietnam War. I don’t recall the war itself, but one of my earliest childhood memories dates to about 1970 and, for some reason, it is remarkably vivid. I had tagged along…
We cannot now close our border to those fleeing the horror we helped create
Why should we open our border to poor people from Central America? What if they are really terrorists? What if they have COVID, or something even more contagious? How can we afford to take care of “their” children when we…
The end of American exceptionalism
Many efforts have been made to interpret the political events of the last few months — the Capitol riots, the political turmoil on the left and right. And more efforts will be made to interpret the last four years. I’ll…
America’s second Catholic president faces a vastly different landscape than the first
The first time Americans elected a Catholic as president, Baptists were among those expressing alarm over possible violations of church-state separation. This year, with the imminent inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden as the nation’s second Catholic president, the landscape looks…
Faith leaders make a case for Trump to the delight of some and dismay of others
“I’m done with Michael W. Smith.” That sentiment has been expressed widely this week on social media by Christians who have loved the veteran Christian singer-songwriter’s music but now find themselves disaffected by his apparent politics. For public figures —…
Rebuilding the foundations of ‘The City on the Hill’: the shadow side of American exceptionalism
If we are to rebuild the foundations of this “City on a Hill,” we must work with all people of good will, those of all religions, races and economic classes, to follow the counsel of Micah to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.