Over the last decade, the so-called “MAGA” movement has infected nearly every aspect of American life, including Christianity. Evangelicals, Catholics and Orthodox Christians in the United States have been forced to endure what’s been dubbed the “Bro” movement — an…
Criminalizing truth
I have spent much of my life working at the intersection of faith and public life, often in rooms where people insist religion should stay out of politics. I understand why. Faith has been used to divide, to dominate, to…
Keeping Easter alive means embracing the Truth
For some reason, we insist on complicating Jesus. The grave could not contain him. Yet we have the audacity to be believe our theology can. Our complicated theological pursuits have led to self-righteous, self-serving endeavors aimed at being “right” and…
Nothing’s fine: The truth your pastor won’t tell you
How long does it take to tell a lie? The same amount of time it takes to tell the truth. Is there really a difference if you tell it right? If you smile, wave or nod with assurance? If you…
Murder and lies in Minneapolis: What’s it all about?
According to the Washington Post, Donald Trump made 30,573 misleading statements between 2016 and 2020, more than half of them during the final year of his first term in office. In Trump’s second term, the Post has lost its enthusiasm…
Without local journalism, accountability falters
I have profound respect for good journalism, especially from small-town newspapers. I spent a good portion of my early career in the industry doing ad sales, then transitioned to writing and eventually management. Today, my column is sent to publications…
Trump is who he is; who are you?
America must stop pretending this is about Donald J. Trump. Trump is Trump. Historically, socially, morally, financially and ethically, he already has revealed himself to the nation and the world. Without exaggeration, he stands as the most socially corrosive president…
Journalistic integrity should be timeless
An opinion column titled, “Fun-loving Commies spend big to sponsor ‘No Kings’” was recently brought to my attention. The author was not entirely unknown to me. He once was on my media list in his capacity as a newspaper editor….
What Mama said
“Mama said” ranks next to “Jesus says” for a country boy who grew up among honeysuckle and high-pitched Southern voices. These days, I sense “Mama said” and “Jesus says” are losing credibility. “Mama said” once provided social stability (good manners,…
Trump’s latest bundle of lies endangers trans folk the most
“No transgender for everyone,” Donald Trump declared of his second term as president in a controversial social media post Oct. 27. In an 83-word Truth Social post that boasted at least eight flagrant lies, Trump included as part of his…
What it should take for Trump to get the Nobel Peace Prize
The man who occupies a solemn office, who bears an honorable title, but whom a court of law has declared a convict on 34 counts of fraud and whom another court has declared to be a sexual offender, may have…
Truth and consequences: An appeal for honest discourse
The most gut-wrenching book in the Bible is Jeremiah. The tears of God are nearly visible, and the moans of a brokenhearted God are almost audible on its pages. So are Jeremiah’s anguished sobs as he witnesses the dismemberment of…