Recently my family and I have been watching Loki on Disney+. For those of you unfamiliar with the world of the Marvel universe, Loki is the god of mischief and an archvillain of the Avengers. At the beginning of the…
Social liberalism grows while economic conservatism still dominates
More Americans describe themselves as socially liberal than economically liberal, according to new polling data from Gallup. And for the first time, more Americans identify as social liberals than as social conservatives. “This is the first year in Gallup’s trend…
Dallas pastor pitches ‘Good God’ podcast toward the common good
George Mason describes his “Good God” podcast as a way to connect the dots between religion and just about everything else. “It’s educating, inspiring and creating civil discourse. It’s helping people bridge faith and public life,” said Mason, senior pastor…
Is this election all about abortion? It depends on who you ask
If you listen to the most conservative and most liberal activists, you would think the 2020 presidential election is all about abortion rights. It turns out that is not exactly true, although abortion remains a highly motivating factor for certain…
What I’ve learned about agreeing to disagree in contentious times
As a teacher for most of my adult life, I knew not everyone would — or should — blindly agree with my perspective. For at least two decades, I chose to teach my seminary graduate courses around conference tables rather…
50 years later, abortion remains a political smokescreen
Abortion has been at the forefront of the Religious Right for almost 50 years — since the landmark Supreme Court decision in 1973 that recognized a woman’s freedom to abort a fetus based on the constitutional right to privacy. That…
Panel says Arkansas Supreme Court justices violated ethics by removing pastor/judge from death penalty cases
A state government commission tasked with investigating claims concerning the ethical conduct or disability of judges on Thursday filed formal charges against six members of the Arkansas Supreme Court for their handling of a case involving a Little Rock judge…
Mississippi church a window into national gay rights debate
The juxtaposition of beliefs at this church in the Deep South is a window into a debate in much of the U.S. that sometimes puts friends, neighbors and even fellow church members at odds.
Embrace ‘extremist’ Christianity to counter hate, ministers say
By Jeff Brumley Joe Phelps admits he is a Christian extremist. For years, he’s being spreading his brand of faith all over Louisville, Ky., where he’s pastor of Highlands Baptist Church. And now he admits he’d like to see it…