📰 Politics, Sex, War: Old Religion Headlines Are New Again 🔌

Twenty years ago, I worked as a Dallas-based religion reporter for The Associated Press. Many of the stories that dominated the headlines then remain relevant today.

What the Church Could Learn From LGBTQ+ Activists

(OPINION) In October 2007, I delivered a series of lectures on the subject of “Homosexuality, the Church, and Society.” The lectures were held at the Booth Playhouse in the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina, and they attracted considerable attention from the local media.

Christianity, OpinionDr. Michael BrownMay 22, 2024Michael Brown, Dr. Michael Brown, Christianity, religion, opinion, LGBTQComment

4 Lessons From The PCA/David French Debacle

(OPINION) Following an outcry that spilled over into the mainstream media (“David French” and “PCA” trended nationally on X for days), a David French panel on “how to be supportive of your pastor and church leaders in a polarized political year” at the PCA General Assembly was canceled. However, that doesn’t mean the story is over, or that it doesn’t have some lessons to teach.

If You Hope To Speak For God, You’ll Hear A Myriad Contrary Voices

(OPINION) Speaking for God can be a messy business. Very messy. No matter how sincere you are, you might turn out eventually to have been wrong. No matter how many Scriptures you cite to prove your point, those who disagree will trot out contrary passages to demonstrate why you’re tragically misguided — if not heretical.

Outrage Over A Catholic Commencement Speech At A Catholic College

(OPINION) While a petition calling for the firing of Harrison Butker, one of the greatest placekickers in the NFL, has gained more than 100,000 signatures, sales of his jersey are skyrocketing. Why all the controversy?

🎤 Preach It, Jelly Roll: Emotional Singer Celebrates Another Big Award 🔌

Jelly Roll is on a roll. The “Son of a Sinner” artist — whose songs feature raw, religious lyrics that wrestle with his troubled past — won another big award on Thursday night.

When Being Pro-Palestinian Means The End Of Israel

(OPINION) It is important to remember that many of those protesting Israel’s war in Gaza are not simply advocating for a ceasefire or for a two-state solution. They are advocating for the end of Israel. This, of course, is the obvious meaning of the “river to the sea” chant. But what is implied in the chant is now being stated explicitly by anti-Israel protesters and their allies. They, in turn, are simply articulating what has always been the fundamental position of Hamas.

Evangelical Subculture Has Several Different — And Competing — Components

(OPINION) While political pollsters and the national media tend to lump under one banner those dreaded right-leaning “White evangelical or born-again” Christians, that banner actually includes an anomalous set of people with different belief systems and often competing goals.

God’s Sovereignty And The Chosen People Of Israel

(OPINION) Israel was chosen because of the sovereignty of God, not because of Israel’s own merit. He set His love on Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and determined to bless the world through their offspring, meaning through the people of Israel and, ultimately, through the seed of Abraham par excellence, Jesus the Messiah. And because He made unconditional promises to the patriarchs, He has kept His word through the generations, preserving the people of Israel, disciplining them, scattering them and regathering them.

Israel, Jewish, Judaism, OpinionDr. Michael BrownMay 11, 2024Michael Brown, Dr. Michael Brown, Israel, Middle East, Jews, Judaism, Hamas, opinion, news, Gaza, PalestiniansComment

⚾️ New Biography Gives Insight Into Star Pitcher Clayton Kershaw’s Faith 🔌

A new, 400-page biography of 10-time All-Star pitcher Clayton Kershaw delves into his baseball success, his family life and, yes, his faith.

When Wrestling With Anxiety, Here’s How I Pray — And It Helps

(OPINION) Lately, though, I’ve unaccountably become flappable, prone to crippling attacks of anxiety even when there’s nothing to be anxious about. This is new, disconcerting and mysterious. I’m not under any unusual stress, so I suspect this anxiety must be the result of some chemical shift taking place in my brain as I age.

Christianity, OpinionPaul PratherMay 6, 2024Paul Prather, power of prayer, prayer, Christianity, opinionComment

Did The House of Representatives Outlaw Quoting The New Testament?

(OPINION) According to a growing number of Christian conservatives, including Tucker Carlson, Charlie Kirk, and Andrew Torba (CEO of GAB), the new House bill opposing antisemitism actually outlaws quoting parts of the New Testament? Is this true? Kirk, a strong supporter of Israel, asked, “Did the House of Representatives just make parts of the Bible illegal?”

The Fight Against Clergy Sex Abuse Also Involves ‘Missionary Kids’

(OPINION) In fact, my strong hunch is that these “under the radar” Christian boarding or reform schools will prove to be the next chapter in the ever-present, still burgeoning clergy abuse crisis. And those of us who’ve long supported such survivors will be called upon again to offer sympathy, consolation and guidance to hundreds of mostly invisible victims who have been violated in circumstances even more extreme than the ones in which we were abused.

🌪️ Symbol Of Hope: Church’s Stained-Glass Windows Survive Monster Tornado 🔌

When a monster tornado struck a small Oklahoma town, numerous businesses and houses were destroyed. But a church’s stained-glass windows escaped with just minor damage.

Why I Don’t Believe American Students Care Deeply About Palestinians

(OPINION) No, I don’t believe for a split second that suddenly, college students all over America really care about the plight of the Palestinians. I don’t believe this anymore than, a few years ago, people around the globe were suddenly concerned about the plight of Black Americans when they marched for BLM. Not a chance.

A Vision When I Was Young Set The Course For My Spiritual Journey Ever Since

(OPINION) During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when we were all locked down, I suddenly had enormous stretches of time on my hands. I did a lot of reading. One thing I learned from all that reading was that I am, apparently, a jackleg Christian mystic.

Opinion, ReligionPaul PratherApril 27, 2024Paul Prather, opinion, religionComment

🖥️ Time For A Reboot: The Start Of Something New 🔌

It’s time for a reboot. This edition of Weekend Plug-in marks the launch of something new.

Universities Directly Responsible For the Rise of Campus Antisemitism

(OPINION) It is not so much that our elite universities have allowed a spirit of vile Jew hatred to take root on their campuses. Instead, they have cultivated that very spirit, fueling its fires and finetuning its ideologies. The universities are complicit.

Before Trump Promoted A Bible, Truman Blessed One

(OPINION) When the National Council of Churches, an ecumenical group known for a more progressive approach to social policy, completed its Revised Standard Version of the Bible in 1952, it celebrated the text with a ceremony at the White House. NCC leaders gifted President Harry Truman the first printed copy, looking to gain publicity and credibility from the president.

New Novel Explores The Mysteries Of Faith And The Loss Thereof

(REVIEW) Though “Eli Harpo’s Adventure to the Afterlife” author Eric Schlich comes to this tale from a different spiritual trajectory than mine — I’m a former skeptic turned Holy Roller preacher — I found myself caught up in Eli’s story. That’s partly the result of good plotting. By the end of each chapter, I had to see what would happen next.

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