It is somewhat difficult for me to piece this together because Rachel Held Evans has blocked me on Twitter, and so I only get oblique references from other directions. But apparently there has been another outburst of indignation against me on Twitter for my views on race and Southern slavery, and some of her comments …
Bricks Made Out of Fog
Introduction: I would like to try to make a very simple point, but one which could be misconstrued in a thousand different ways. I would ask my friends not to do so, my enemies not to do so too violently, and for the vast horde wavering between friendship and hostility to read the whole thing …
7 Principles for Navigating Times of Racial Animosity
I have seen Jon Gabriel’s tweet many times, and unfortunately this is because there have been numerous occasions in the last few years where the snark fits like a glove. “My favorite part about the Obama era is all the racial healing.” I am old enough to remember 1967, and I am starting to feel …
What Is the Matter With Black Lives Matter?
Introduction: Taken at face value, the phrase black lives matter is a phrase that no sensible person could differ with. Of course they do. Also taken at face value, the rejoinder all lives matter is equally true. Of course they do. The reason for the back and forth, then, has nothing to do with the …
All Lies Matter
Introduction: Someone once observed, sagely, that it is not necessary to choose up sides in an ethnic war. The other side does that for you. Put another way, there are some things you can’t opt out of. But considered from another angle, in the meantime there are certain things that Christians should strive to understand …
America, Black and Blue
In the aftermath of this most recent series of tragic shootings — Minneapolis, Baton Rouge, and Dallas — the spiritual disarray of our nation is manifest in how we tend immediately to cluster into two groups. One identifies with anger at injustice and the other identifies with the need for order and calls urgently for …
This Crimson Carnage
I begin by saying that I think of the American flag with affection, respect and sorrow. I think of what it used to represent, what it ought to represent, and what it periodically still represents. The sorrow has to do with what our ruling elites are insisting that it must come to represent, and the …
Audio Reading of Post
Two Short of Kevin Bacon
Published in Daily News in the summer of 2015 Unfortunate is too mild a word to describe Nick Gier’s most recent foray into an old controversy (6/25/15). I do not mind a controversy when controversy is absolutely necessary, but it really isn’t called for in this instance. Christ Church is a church that has many …
The Bill Ayers Kind of Bomb
Ran in the Daily News May 3, 2017 A lot needs to be covered here so I guess I should jump right in. Lee Rozen recently argued that I seem to be proud of my “anti-gay, pro-slavery, patriarchal provocateur status.” First, I have never been pro-slavery. That is simply false. The debates I have been …
Q Denver
A number of months ago I received a very gracious invitation to speak at the Q conference, this year to be held in Denver. I wrote back, saying that I was interested, but mentioned that they might want to google my name or something — for not everyone in their circles thinks I am wonderful. …