A Florida Baptist executive penned an open letter May 18 urging the state’s governor to ignore directions from the Obama administration to allow transgender students to use the school bathroom of their choice instead of the one that corresponds to…
Amid a fiery debate, this Dallas pastor wants to learn about transgender people
A week ago, Mark Wingfield wrote a viral blog post for Baptist News Global titled “Seven Things I’m Learning About Transgender Persons.” While conservatives have railed against school restroom policies for transgender students, Wingfield took a different tack.
A letter to North Carolina’s governor
In response to the recent passage of House Bill 2 in North Carolina, I penned my first-ever letter to our state’s governor, and posted that letter on our church’s webpage. I have had near-unanimous affirmation for my words. Two weeks…
SBC ethicist says feds using money to redefine gender
The Southern Baptist Convention’s top public policy spokesman criticized an Obama administration letter telling public schools to let transgender students use the bathrooms of their choice as an attempt “to target children’s bathrooms for the sake of transgender ideology.” Russell…
Seven things I’m learning about transgender persons
I don’t know much about transgender issues, but I’m trying to learn. How about you? How much do you really know about this subject beyond all the screaming headlines and concerns about who goes to the bathroom where? The truth…
The real reason the Religious Right opposes trans equality. (It isn’t bathroom predators.)
We are stuck at this unproductive impasse, fixating on bathrooms, arguing about a threat that both sides know is nonexistent.
Theologian says gender identity a ‘last wall’ in civilization
Allowing children to use the public restroom in school that corresponds to their perceived sexual identity if it differs from their birth biology is a line in the sand for Bible-believing Christians, the leader of an organization that affirms that…
In defense of the profane
A few years ago, I was down in Atlanta to preach. I flew in on a Friday afternoon and later that night I met up with my sister and cousin to celebrate another cousin’s birthday at a local bar. We…
New frontiers for LGBTQ-affirming churches
More and more congregations are undertaking intentional, prayerful processes of discernment and action toward becoming inclusive, affirming, and justice-practicing congregations for LGBTQ people (there are about 100 churches now in the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists). While many churches…