What the Current Schism in the United Methodist Church Says About and Means for Christianity Part 2b — Gender and Sexuality The History of the United Methodist Church, Its Record on Issues of Social Justice, and Its Relevance Today “But may not women, as well as men, bear a part in this honorable service?” Undoubtedly they may; nay, they ought; it is meet, right, and their bounden duty. Herein there is no difference; “there…

What the Current Schism in the United Methodist Church Says About and Means for Christianity Part 2a — A Focus on Race The History of the United Methodist Church, Its Record on Issues of Social Justice, and Its Relevance Today “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

What the Current Schism in the United Methodist Church Says About and Means for Christianity “Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.” — Mahatma Gandhi Over the past week, I’ve tried to write this several times. In fact, this is my fifth draft. This kind of vacillation is…

The History of Racism in Our Modern Political Parties & How the Party of Lincoln Evolved to the Party of Trump This is the second of a three-part series on how racism has shaped American politics. You can find Part I here. Following the Reagan era, the presidency of George…

Finding Unexpected Answers to Lifelong Issues On Friday, I finally made the time (and summoned up the courage) to see my primary care doctor and discuss a recent realization I had. A while back I was on the phone with my sister-in-law, who happens to be a special education teacher…

Recent Reads on Politics & Social Issues It should come as no surprise that writers are also big readers. As a political and social issue writer, many of the books I read are in the same vein. …

A Review of Diane Chamberlain’s The Last House on the Street I’ve written about my personal political journey from right-of-center to liberal a few times in the past (here is the most recent), but it’s something I’ve been thinking quite a bit about lately. When I began to make that…

This post has been a long time in the making. I’ve written parts of it in my head. I’ve tried — and failed — several times already to put my thoughts and feelings into words, but nothing has seemed adequate. Recently, though, I’ve seen a couple of Facebook posts that…

Racism in the Formation of Our Modern Political Parties (Parts II & III, Bush Sr.- Trump & Beyond, will be published separately for the sake of brevity.) Aside from the claim that the Confederate flag is not inherently racist, many also erroneously argue that it was Democrats, not Republicans, who…