School Choice Is The Right Choice
Donald Trump has returned to the White House, and the Republican Party controls both houses of Congress, though the margin remains tight in the House of Representatives. Polls indicate that Americans’ trust in the Democratic Party is at a historic low. Republicans have a historic opportunity to implement much of their agenda. That agenda includes significant […]
Blocking Biden on Title IX
On Jan. 9, U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves struck down the Biden administration’s proposed regulations to Title IX, which were released in April of last year. The decision follows an injunction Reeves put in place last summer, which put a temporary halt on Biden’s regulations. The new rules were intended for implementation in August 2024. In a column about the injunction that I […]
Blocking Puberty Blockers In the U.K.
The U.K. government recently announced an indefinite ban on puberty blockers for all new patients under the age of 18. This decision extends the temporary ban announced in May, which followed the recommendations of the Independent Review of Gender Identity Services chaired by Hilary Cass. The Cass Review, as it has come to be known, raised concerns […]
FIRST-PERSON: The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 As A Teaching Tool
In 1925, the Southern Baptist Convention convened in Memphis, Tenn. At that momentous meeting, messengers made two decisions with far-reaching consequences. First, they adopted the Baptist Faith and Message. Second, they launched the Cooperative Program as a unified funding strategy for Southern Baptist ministries. In remarks to the SBC Executive Committee earlier this year, SBC President Clint […]
How Now Shall We Live? A Quarter-Century Appreciation
The summer of 1999, I was 20 years old. I had recently graduated with my associate’s degree from a junior college and was preparing to transfer to a state Baptist college to pursue my bachelor’s degree. I was serving in youth ministry and was speaking frequently at regional youth events. I planned to attend seminary […]
15 Years Later
This month marks the 15th anniversary of the publication of “The Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience.” Three lions of social conservatism drafted the document: the late Charles Colson, Timothy George, and Robert George. Almost 150 leaders from various Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox traditions were charter signers of the declaration. Eventually, more than […]
Cultivating Thoughtful Reading In An Age of Distraction
Like many educators, I’ve been thinking about Rose Horowitch’s recent essay in The Atlantic titled “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books.” This provocative piece has been making the rounds on social media and blogs dedicated to higher education. Horowitch interviews faculty members in several prestigious institutions about their students’ reading habits. The results […]
Lessons About Loss, Living, And Loving Together
I live in Tigerville, S.C., which is a rural crossroads of about 2,100 residents nestled in the southern foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. It is home to North Greenville University, where I work as a professor. Tigerville is part of the Greenville metropolitan area, which includes around 568,000 people. But like so many of the […]
Running the Race Before Us
Understandably, our attention is focused increasingly on the presidential race and other political contests this fall. Many believers will be discouraged by at least some elements of those races. So, especially in a year when we just held the Summer Olympics, it’s perhaps helpful to be reminded of some races that we ought to find […]
Just Say No
As a child of the 1980s and 1990s, I was admonished regularly to avoid the use of drugs. First Lady Nancy Reagan championed the “Just Say No” campaign, lending it national credibility. Drug use couldn’t be depicted positively in cartoons or comic books, and warning labels were put on albums that glorified drug use. Afterschool […]