Facts are Stubborn Things
Private Hugh White stamped his feet and rubbed his hands together to warm them in the blistering cold of a March evening in Boston. Snow blanketed the ground around the Custom House he was tasked …
Politics
1982: Observing the Evangelical Church’s Embrace of Right-Wing Politics
Rise of the Moral Majority I was youthful and apolitical in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and I listened to almost every gospel program on the radio. As a member of a heterodox Christian …
I want to live a faith worth reviling
In 2016, then-future President Donald John Trump gave a speech in Sioux Center, Iowa, that would define not only his presidential campaign but the next four years of his time in office. He could shoot …
Johnny Fencerider, Demon Sperm, and the Real Threat to Freedom of Conscience in America
I had a pastor friend who at one time I considered to be a mentor. Sadly, he proved to be a disappointment both as a friend and as a mentor. I remember as a very …
When Social Justice Meets Confederate Legacy, in One Family
My family history in Tennessee goes back over 200 years, although I was raised in California. I never imagined the two sides of my heritage would collide as they have. A tale of three sides …
Alligator Auschwitz and the Rhetoric of Genocide
There has been considerable hysteria surrounding the Trump presidency this year. Honestly, from my perspective, much of it is deserved. There has been no secret about my disagreement with Trumpian politics or MAGA Christianity. But …
Dual Citizenship: What Does it Mean to be a Christian and a Citizen of the United States?
One of my Facebook friends posted a rather bizarre photo a couple of years ago. He and his sons professed a fervent evangelical Christian faith, as well as a strong dedication to the “Tea Party” …
White Jesus: Is it a Symbol of the Church’s Hate That Needs to be Toppled?
As an Artist, Arts & Religion Scholar, Christian, and Hispanic who has been vocal about racial issues, I received messages and comments from friends when Shaun King’s tweeted a few years ago, arguing that statues …
Jesus Didn’t Die for Our Country—He Died Because of It: Prayers, Empires, and the Cross We Refuse to Carry
On Monday, April 28, three people knelt in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol to pray. Among them was Rev. Dr. William Barber—pastor, teacher, and tireless advocate for the poor. They weren’t shouting. They weren’t …
Why I’m Not Tempted to Apostate
I hope this title is appreciated and that the article is appreciated at least half as much as the title. I enjoy approaching serious subjects with a casual, Kermit the Frog tea sip before I …