Reactions to the recent Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision that affirmed the right of closely held corporations to refuse to offer abortion and birth control services to their employees because of the religious convictions of the owners, were very revealing. Unsurprisingly conservatives hailed the decision as a victory for religious freedom. On the left, however,… Read More »
Sunnie Kahle is an 8-year-old girl. But in the eyes of the staff at Timberlake Christian Schools, she dressed and acted more like a boy. After consulting by phone with Sunnie’s grandparents (her grandmom is her guardian), administrators at the school felt they had to take action, and sent the grandmother the following letter. Dear… Read More »
In July of 2012, Charles and Te’Andrea Wilson had planned to be married in the church they attended, First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs, Mississippi. All the arrangements had been made, the invitations for the wedding sent out, and Pastor Stan Weatherford was ready to perform the ceremony. Then some members of the congregation who… Read More »
One of the things I like is collecting photographs that have some element of historical or artistic interest for me personally. From time to time, I’ll post some of these photos here. “Ella Watson” by Gordon Parks, 1942 In 1942, groundbreaking African-American photographer Gordon Parks went to work for the Farm Security Administration in Washington,… Read More »
If someone says “evangelical Christian” and “political party” in the same sentence, which party comes to mind? No one who follows national politics could deny that white evangelicals by and large see themselves, and are seen by politicians, pundits, political operatives, and the public in general, as being effectively married to the Republican Party. When… Read More »
In the aftermath of an election in which President Obama received 93 per cent of the black vote, radio show host and author Michael Brown, a self-proclaimed white evangelical, wrote an “open letter to black evangelicals” accusing them of voting to reelect the president out of “blind allegiance to the Democratic party.” He goes on… Read More »
In my article on The NAACP’s Divorce from the Black Church (published in the Harrisburg, PA Patriot-News under the title “Gay marriage issue splits black church and NAACP”) I made the claim that most African American Christians will stand firm on God’s word, and against same-sex relationships. I believe that will be the case. But… Read More »