Living into its new identity, The United Methodist Church has a prime opportunity to liberate Wesleyan theology from past conflicts to become a vital framework for today’s world, says one of Methodism’s most noted theologians. Joerg Rieger hopes two of…
AWAB lecture explores art’s role in gender, sexuality and spirituality
The visual arts can connect gender, sexuality and spirituality and reshape attitudes about LGBTQ life and religion, scholar Justin Sabia-Tanis said during a lecture presented by the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. “And this can in turn offer us…
40 years later, Parental Advisory warning label still impacts music industry
The “Washington wives” were four women who said a flood of obscene and violent rock music was a “family values” issue America must address. At a Senate hearing 40 years ago, they argued for a record labeling system that 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…
Women in US remain more religious than men, even as Gen Z trend flips
American women remain more likely to be religious than men, according to Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Study. The study aligns with other research on gender and religion: Women have consistently been found more likely to be religious than men,…
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…
How I learned to stop obsessing over lust and you can too
This second week of January is likely hard for plenty of evangelical men who made New Year’s resolutions not to lust. I know, because I used to be one of them. Even President Jimmy Carter had to deal with this….
In three-hour interview, Mohler says he ‘hopes and prays’ Jimmy Carter is born again
Al Mohler has to “hope and pray” Jimmy Carter is a born-again Christian, he told a conservative podcaster in a wide-ranging interview. But the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary had no qualms about voting for Donald Trump for U.S….
The church faces a three-dimensional decision
Three cultural-biblical issues intertwine today to hold the Christian church in knots of conflict. Part of that conflict concerns whether the three cords are cut from the same cloth or not. These strands are race, gender and sexuality. From a…
Is it weird that Mike Johnson’s underage son is his porn accountability partner?
The latest theater of conservative evangelicalism’s multiple-front spiritual warfare cosplay is being dubbed the “War on Technology” by Cypress Baptist Church of Benton, La. It began as a gathering in October 2022 that promised to “help families win the technology…
In biblical truth-telling, we need to mind the gap between clergy and laity
It doesn’t surprise me that new research shows white mainline Protestant clergy are more supportive of LGBTQ rights, abortion rights and racial justice than their congregations. I’ve been there, done that and have the scars to prove it. From my…
Tired of reading only male perspectives on Christian sexuality? Here are 14 women you ought to read
The past few months have been marked by evangelical men writing about sexuality in ways that center their perspective and pleasure while ignoring the perspectives and pleasure of women. In one interview about his controversial book, Josh Butler said he continues…