I had an interesting conversation yesterday with the Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin about the breathless objections by Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to a pre-Super Bowl performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a song informally known…
White resentment is like an abusive lover who would rather kill than lose control
Many years ago, I was having a conversation with a woman with whom I had gone to high school. She was a successful attorney, living in Pennsylvania, and had a good life — except for her long-term boyfriend. He was…
Christian fragility, brittleness and white Christian nationalism
The Religious Right seems to be flexing its muscles these days. After all, they’ve overturned Roe v. Wade, openly embraced Christian nationalism, banned a whole slew of books, and told Florida’s teachers, “Don’t Say Gay.” I don’t think all this…
Moving lightly through this world: Reflections on the weight of white Christian innocence
In the wake of recent travels, I’ve been thinking about the novelty of the experience against the backdrop of the pandemic. What was routine now seems exotic; what was comfortable seems unsettling. I’ve seen a lot of discussion about the loss…
Good news and bad news on prevalence of hate groups
There’s good news and bad news about hate groups in America today, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The good news is that the SPLC tracked 105 fewer hate groups and 78 fewer anti-government groups last year than in…
Five takeaways from the Report on Christian Nationalism and January 6
On Feb. 9, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, in tandem with their movement “Christians Against Christian Nationalism” and in partnership with the Freedom From Religion Foundation, held a livestreamed event that introduced their new comprehensive report on the influence…
We are the coalition of the unwilling
Back in the 1970s, church growth experts fell in love with the “homogenous unit principle.” “People like to become Christians,” Donald McGavran noted, “without crossing racial, linguistic or class barriers.” The pushback was immediate. If the gospel is all about…
Remembering the real Martin Luther King: Forgive us, Lord
Schools and streets have been named after Martin Luther King Jr. Churches and libraries are named after him. He is the only African American and the only American clergy honored with a national holiday. In many countries around the world,…
The Great Replacement is a lie and not Christian, Southern Baptist pastor explains
Christians deviate from their own faith and Scripture whenever they espouse beliefs that immigrants of color are a threat to American culture, society and security, a Southern Baptist minister and author said during a recent podcast about the Great Replacement…