Sen. Mitt Romney recently called serial liar Rep. George Santos a “sick puppy” and said the Long Island Republican didn’t “belong” in the House chamber in a heated exchange before President Biden’s State of the Union address. The veteran Republican senator scolded…
Of Christians singing on a plane, outrage, shame and a better song
Is it good manners for Christians to break into public songs of worship in the confined space of a commercial airplane in flight? Is it fair for a Muslim politician to question whether people of her faith would have been…
What’s in your box? How I’m learning to put shame in the trash can
I spent years, decades in fact, boiling in shame. My scalding journey is well captured by one of the characters in DC Talk’s brilliant music video Just Between You and Me. I use this video in marriage and family classes…
Going public with Lent’s call to penitence
“Concealment makes the soul a swamp. Confession is how you drain it.” —Charles M. Blow They have treated the wound of my people carelessly. They acted shamefully, they committed abomination, yet they did not know how to blush. —Jeremiah 6:14-15…
The link between the Atlanta shootings and purity culture
The shootings that happened in Atlanta on March 16 were a needless tragedy — the loss of innocent lives at the hands of yet another gunman, where women of color once again were the victims. While lack of gun control…
Let’s help evangelical Christians break free of the shame that drives them
As a child, I possessed a somewhat fearful disposition toward the world. After a few years of tearful late-night sit-ins outside my biological father and his new wife’s locked bedroom door, or screaming near-weekly announcements to the employees of my…
Therapist guides clients through loneliness, trauma created by spiritual abuse
“They think they are horrible people because that’s tied to the theology. You’ll find that in churches that place super focus on language like ‘I’m a sinner’ and ‘I’m a wretch.’”
Conservative evangelicals’ political success: Acting out of the pain of unhealed shame
When Christians act out of the pain of unhealed shame, they may lash out in equally shameful ways. The world is seeing a church that names people and groups as enemies to be defeated, rather than seeing it bear witness to God’s love and grace for all.
The national conversation about sexual abuse by Baptist clergy is important. But it doesn’t go far enough
Churches must address three foundational issues if they are truly going to become safe spaces for children.