“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…
After Charlie Kirk’s death, Rev. Barber says discussions should be ‘rooted in truth’
Rev. William Barber said in an interview with Morning Edition that the job of ministers like himself is to “call out” divisive, dishonest language from those in power. “We have to have a strong moral voice rooted in our values,…
Listening to young adults explain their love for Charlie Kirk
In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s tragic and wicked assassination, I’ve found myself seeking to understand the scope of his influence on young evangelicals. My husband and I recently hosted a former student of ours and her roommate, both of…
6 ways to gain credibility in our gospel witness
The gospel message itself always has been a big ask for much of the world to accept: an unmarried virgin’s conception, Jesus’ myriad supra-science miracles, the atoning death, the bodily resurrection. It is for this very reason the Apostle Paul…
Trump administration wages war on inconvenient facts
Facts can be stubborn things, but the Trump administration has declared war on those facts that don’t support its narrative. When confronted by inconvenient facts, it fires the messengers and sues the fact-checkers. On Aug. 1, the Bureau of Labor…
When is the right time to speak the truth about toxic people?
As many of our readers know, I officiate a lot of funerals. In addition to nearly 17 years as pastor with responsibilities for such things, I officiate pick-up funerals for families who do not have a church or a minister….
Bill Moyers: Fearless speaker of truth
When I saw the news of Bill Moyers dying, I felt all the oxygen left my office. Never has one person spoken more truth to power than Moyers. The tributes to him are prodigious and well-deserving. I add here some…
When lies pass for truth, the light dims for all of us
When lies pass for the truth, something in democracy disappears. Since conservatives insist liberals are lying and liberals insist conservatives are lying, somebody in the house of democracy is not telling the truth. The standard theme of anti-Trumpers long has…
GOP and Christian legal group battle ‘Censorship-Industrial Complex’
“I have stopped all government censorship and brought back free speech in America,” President Donald Trump told Congress in March. “It’s back.” He was referring to one of the many executive orders he signed on inauguration day: “Restoring Freedom of…