The False Teachings of Falwell
Baby Falwell’s silver spoon was forged by poor people, but he developed his bitterness all on his own.
Religion
The Neo-Nazi at the Market
This weekend my husband, my mother and I decided to venture out to a holiday market on Denver’s Sixteenth Street Mall. We took the Light Rail downtown with a crush of Broncos fans. At the market we browsed the booths and indulged in a bit of hot cider, then settled in the beer garden tent …
Politics and the Pulpit
Preachers are making news this week. Bishop Michael Curry set the royal wedding abuzz with his animated, uplifting sermon about the transformative power of love. And longtime Southern Baptist leader Paige Patterson lost his post at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary after delivering one too many sermons urging wives to stay with abusive husbands. Tonight, religious …
Season of Revival
Roseanne and Jesus Christ Superstar I was a college student in Cleveland, Mississippi when Roseanne premiered in 1988. My friends and I watched it most weeks. We thought it was funny and irreverent. I particularly loved Jackie, played by the talented Laurie Metcalf. Jackie was always searching for something better—a better job, a better boyfriend, …
I Was Wrong. Hallelujah!
Last night I stayed up past my bedtime to watch Alabama make history. I said a few weeks ago that I didn’t believe Roy Moore would step down. On that point, I was right. But I also said, and believed, that Moore would win the senate seat. I didn’t believe the people of Alabama would …
A Teaspoon of Dogma Spoils the Cake
Q: When is a cake more than a cake? A: Never. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in the case against a Colorado baker who refused to design a wedding cake for a gay couple. The baker, Jack Phillips, says he isn’t a bigot and that he’d be happy to sell the couple …
Roy Moore Isn’t Going Anywhere
Roy Moore, the Republican running for U.S. Senate in Alabama, has now been accused of sexually molesting a 14-year-old girl and engaging in inappropriate relationships with other underage girls. None of the women making the accusations were looking for fame or revenge or even justice. They were sought out by a hardworking reporter from the …
All Faith, No Action
The problem with Americans is that we expect God to listen to us, but we refuse to listen to God.
Are you there, God? It’s me, Bill
(This week Bill O’Reilly announced that he is “mad at God.” Here’s how I imagine his prayers are going this days.) Dear God, Are you there? Are you paying attention to me? I am aggrieved, God, and confused. I have spent my entire career telling women how to live and how to look. I showered …
Are You With Us? We Can’t Hear You
In the year 2000 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission declared that employer-provided health insurance must cover contraception. It was clearly discriminatory to deny women coverage for a safe, widely used, highly effective preventive medication. This was a solid decade before the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) went into effect, eight years before Obama was elected. But …