Don’t Thank God that Nebraska Ended the Death Penalty
Don’t thank God that Nebraska just voted to end the death penalty. Thank an atheist instead. And one in particular, State Senator Ernie Chambers, who had introduced a bill to repeal the death penalty...
View ArticleIf All Lives Really Matter: The False Racial Unity of Glenn Beck’s Massive...
Contrary to what conservative pundits would have you believe, Black Lives Matter is not a call to division. It’s actually a call for unity. Because the truth is, we aren’t united and haven’t been....
View ArticleThe Temptation of the Transfiguration: On High Places, Presidential Politics,...
The Last Sunday After Epiphany — Year C — Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a) Right now, we are in a season of seeking power and prestige. With the presidential election season officially in full swing, we see it...
View ArticleThe Christian Response to the Measles Outbreak: Love Your Neighbor, Check...
Look, I get that nostalgia is big right now. We’ve got more 19th century beards, vinyl records, backyard gardens, and banjo music in the United States than at any other time in probably the past 50...
View ArticleFrom ‘I Do’ to Disfellowship: Why the Southern Baptists Kicked this Church...
Today, it is my honor to host the Rev. Dr. Ellin Jimmerson, the first Southern Baptist minister (and perhaps only) to perform a legal same-sex wedding. And in Alabama no less! Having grown up in the...
View Article#KellyOnMyMind but Is Manuel On My Mind, Too? Problems of our Death Penalty...
A saint’s scheduled execution was widely protested and decried in Georgia. A sinner’s scheduled execution in Texas was largely ignored. And history repeats itself. On Sept. 21, 2011, two men were...
View ArticleDon’t Believe Easter, Live It
Easter Day is over. But Easter has only just begun. For 50 days, Easter continues, according to the Christian calendar, and those 50 days represent a singular great feast celebrating God’s triumph of...
View ArticleThe Gospel According to Hobby Lobby: When Corporations Get Saved
Does a corporation have religious rights? That is the question at the heart of Hobby Lobby’s fight against the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. It’s an important question — affecting everything from...
View ArticleI Don’t Blame World Vision. I Blame Homophobia and Hate.
I don’t blame World Vision for reversing their decision to accept employees in same-sex marriages. I don’t. They made the exact decision they had to, precisely for the people they serve in impoverished...
View Article#WeAreN, But Are We Really? On Hashtags and the Harvests of War in Iraq
Over the past month, there has been a crescendo of outrage over the horrific acts of ISIS in Iraq and Syria in many American Christian circles. And it’s justifiable. In fact, it’s hard not to be angry...
View Article
