Entries by Rick Pidcock

This is a story about the gods of the oil industry, capitalistic greed, religious fundamentalism, Islamic terrorism, Christian supremacy, Islamophobia and a federal investigation of Donald Trump

June 14, 2023 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on June 13, 2023. The PGA Tour shocked the world last week with its  announcement of a collaboration with LIV Golf. As much as this is about the business of golf, it’s also about the complexities of systemic injustice and the need to deconstruct hierarchies in the global clash […]

How to connect the dots while watching Shiny Happy People

June 7, 2023 /0 Comments/in , , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on June 7, 2023. Collectively watching Amazon Prime’s Shiny Happy People docuseries is foolish if we’re not willing to deconstruct the entire conservative evangelical tower of Babel it reveals. Of course, individuals watching the series may have deeply sensitive trauma they’re reminded of and still processing. Rebekah Drumsta, a survivor […]

Three billboards outside Nashville, Tennessee

June 2, 2023 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on June 2, 2023. During most trips down the interstate, drivers mindlessly zoom past billboards bombarding them with a blur of messages on their way to wherever they’re going. But every once in a while, travelers are confronted with a message about a different destination — their eternal […]

Yes, Tim Scott is a Black man, but he’s still promoting Christian nationalism

May 25, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on May 25, 2023. Republican Sen. Tim Scott entered the presidential race this week, hoping to loosen Donald Trump’s grip on the party with “an optimistic, positive message anchored in conservatism” while appealing to voters who are willing to welcome common sense and common ground. His emphasis on […]

Tired of reading only male perspectives on Christian sexuality? Here are 14 women you ought to read

May 19, 2023 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on May 19, 2023. The past few months have been marked by evangelical men writing about sexuality in ways that center their perspective and pleasure while ignoring the perspectives and pleasure of women. In one interview about his controversial book, Josh Butler said he continues to see his theology of sexuality […]

Josh Butler isn’t done talking about God and sex yet

April 21, 2023 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on April 20, 2023. When The Gospel Coalition and The Keller Center scapegoated Josh Butler due to his article about sex and the church — an excerpt taken from his Beautiful Union book they previously hailed as “the Protestant magnum opus on sexual ethics we’ve been waiting for” — many people wondered […]

Preston Sprinkle’s strange interview with Sheila Gregoire and Rebecca Lindenbach

April 13, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on April 13, 2023. Ten days after defending his decision to endorse Josh Butler’s controversial book about Jesus, marriage and sex, Preston Sprinkle released a Theology in the Raw interview with Sheila Gregoire and Rebecca Lindenbach where he continued to prioritize the perspective of men. But this time, his line of reasoning parroted […]

Please be kind when you invite us to church on Easter

April 5, 2023 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on April 5, 2023. This is the week when church members eagerly invite family, friends and neighbors who rarely, if ever, attend church to attend Easter services. What may seem like an invitation to hope could be perceived as something else, though. Many non-churchgoers carry wounds that may […]

Old wounds and power hierarchies are in fashion at Bob Jones University

April 3, 2023 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on April 3, 2023. After consolidating his power over the Bob Jones University board of trustees last week, Chairman John Lewis won his face-off against university president Steve Pettit. Pettit, who has served as president of the ultra-conservative school since 2014, had given the board an ultimatum before […]

Let’s stop treating the dignity of women as a secondary issue good Christians can disagree on

March 22, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on March 22, 2023. While complementarians sacralize the subjugation of women, perhaps the strongest obstacles to change are the priorities of egalitarians. We’ve witnessed the muscle of complementarian men weaponizing the Bible and wielding the gospel to fortify their authority and power in the church and at home. […]

Now, Pastor Greg Locke is a demon slayer

March 14, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on March 14, 2023. Nashville pastor Greg Locke gained national notoriety for his rebellion against COVID precautions, his denial of the pandemic itself and his enthusiastic support for Donald Trump. Now he’s found new life as a demon slayer. “It was never about the controversy. It was never […]

We don’t need more ‘context’ to understand Josh Butler’s article on sex and the church

March 6, 2023 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on March 6, 2023. In the wake of The Gospel Coalition publishing a male-centric sexual fantasy about Christ penetrating the church, we are getting a clearer picture of how their alliance is characterized by carelessness and control in an attempt to build author platforms by cultivating and protecting […]

Why aren’t we talking about the theology that drives white Christian nationalism?

March 2, 2023 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on February 21, 2023. Poll after poll and webinar after webinar lays out the data on white Christian nationalism. The facts of this threat to both democracy and faith are well-documented. What’s missing from nearly every public discussion is the toxic theology that fuels white Christian nationalism. Behind the […]

Questions to ask while pondering if Asbury is hosting a ‘true revival’

February 21, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on February 21, 2023. Surprise! It’s a revival! So said Thomas H. McCall, a theology professor at Asbury Theological Seminary, located adjacent to the ongoing spiritual event at Asbury University in Wilmore, Ky. “Sometimes God does what Johnathan Edwards called ‘surprising work’ and what John Wesley referred to […]

Why Women Talking has women talking and complementarian men fuming

February 14, 2023 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on February 14, 2023. As much as conservative evangelicals love to hate Hollywood, sometimes Hollywood plays the role of the prophet, exposing the brutal power dynamics of complementarianism’s “male headship.” Such is the case with Brett McCracken, senior editor and director of communications at The Gospel Coalition. His article about […]

As more Americans delay health care they can’t afford, it’s time for the church to be a light once again

January 24, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on January 24, 2023. Imagine facing a medical condition and choosing to do nothing because of money. That was the case for 38% of Americans in 2022, up 12 percentage points from the previous year. According to Gallup, 27% of Americans reported the medical issues they were putting off […]

How our view of creation and incarnation shape our view of intersex people

January 18, 2023 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on January 18, 2023. Every disconnection from communal wholeness goes back to a disconnection within the self, which is fundamentally experienced in bodies. So the way Christians talk about Jesus being born as a human body has the potential to shape either wholeness or disconnection from self and […]

The New Apostolic Reformation drove the January 6 riots, so why was it overlooked by the House Select Committee?

January 10, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on January 10, 2023. As the U.S. Capitol building was under siege January 6, four of the six protest permits issued that day were to independent charismatic Christian groups that had spent the previous two months waging a spiritual war focused on overturning the election. Eight days prior […]

Kirk Cameron is promoting his new children’s book by protesting against other children’s books — and CRT and drag queens and librarians

January 4, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on December 4, 2023. Actor Kirk Cameron of “Left Behind” fame is cashing in on evangelical fears of LGBTQ people as he wages a war with “woke libraries” in a publicity stunt for his new children’s book. “It’s terrifying to me,” Cameron said regarding children’s books that depict […]

Ten things I learned as a religion writer in 2022

December 30, 2022 /0 Comments/in /by

As 2022 draws to a close, I wanted to reflect back on what I’ve learned this year as a religion writer.  The vast majority of my articles are published by Baptist News Global, which is a reader-supported, independent news organization that covers “the people, events and ideas that are shaping American religion and culture.” They […]

Russell Moore and Mike Cosper almost get there: A conversation on theology and anger

December 30, 2022 /0 Comments/in , , /by

This article originally appeared on December 30, 2022 at Baptist News Global. At the turning of the year, religion writers and pundits reflect on the stories and conversations that shaped us and look forward to the conversations ahead. So far, Baptist News Global has shared a piece about how content creators shaped these conversations across a variety of platforms, as […]

Amy Grant will host a same-sex wedding, Franklin Graham objects, and where does that leave Michael W. Smith?

December 20, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on December 20, 2022 at Baptist News Global. Amy Grant is hosting her niece’s same-sex wedding on her farm, and Franklin Graham wants everyone to know he disapproves. Of course, this should come as no surprise to Graham. In a 2013 interview with the LGBTQ news outlet PrideSource, Grant said she knew by the […]

Doomsday Vault created to preserve conservative preaching against cancel culture

December 16, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on December 16, 2022 at Baptist News Global. In a world where peer-reviewed evolutionists are taken seriously and LGBTQ people are treated as peers, Bob Jones University and Sermon Audio have come up with a conservative evangelical counter-offensive known as The Vault. The two organizations have joined forces to build a doomsday vault […]

What have we learned about Matt Chandler’s sin and restoration? Not much

December 5, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on December 5, 2022 at Baptist News Global. Among the many reasons people are leaving institutional churches, there is one that runs deeper than them all. John MacArthur says  it’s because “they deconstruct the Bible to give room for their pet sins and tolerances.” The Gospel Coalition says it’s because we have church […]

On meeting death as a sister

December 1, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This story originally appeared at Baptist News Global on December 1, 2022. What if death isn’t the enemy we often think it is? And what if reconsidering our theology of death might help us live deeper into the union of self and neighbor? In four weeks, Christians across the world will celebrate the birth of Jesus. […]

Three stories from Jesus about the danger of hierarchy and gratitude

November 22, 2022 /0 Comments/in /by

This story originally appeared at Baptist News Global on November 22, 2022. Remember the parable where Jesus warned against thankfulness in corporate worship? It’s a well-known parable in Luke 18, the first in a trilogy of scenes that question our assumptions about status and blessing in relationship with others. In the third scene, Jesus tells a rich […]

Learning from the political worship songs of our American past

November 16, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on November 16, 2022. The American Civil War was “a war with a musical soundtrack,” according to Christian McWhirter. And that soundtrack continues to echo through the American church today, illustrating the different life experiences of Black and white Christians in particular, once again “marching as to war,” […]

Should adultery and homosexuality be illegal? Mohler weighs in

November 8, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on November 8, 2022. “Should adultery be illegal? What about homosexuality?” These were questions posed to Al Mohler from a Christian schoolteacher who passed along ideas from a class discussion with his students. Four days before today’s mid-term elections, Mohler answered these questions in his daily Briefing. Mohler identifies […]

Our obsession with true crime dramas and what ‘Dahmer’ teaches us about heaven and hell

October 27, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on October 27, 2022 at Baptist News Global. One of the biggest trends in entertainment today is true crime dramas about serial killers. Forbes reported in 2020 that it was a “great year for fictional serial killers.” And now, two years later, our fascination with mass murder is continuing, but with a focus on true […]

How Trump’s latest comments on Israel align with evangelical Zionism

October 20, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on October 20, 2022 at Baptist News Global. Donald Trump is in the news again making negative statements about American Jews while flattering his evangelical fanbase. In my piece last week, I wrote about how the dispensationalist obsession with the end times led evangelicals to embrace the Christian Zionist beliefs that “modern-day Israel […]

How Michael W. Smith, George W. Bush and one popular worship song expose the problem of Calvinist theology and politics

October 11, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on October 11, 2022 at Baptist News Global. There is a reason why one of the most influential worship songs of the past quarter century expresses a truth that could turn evangelicalism upside down and yet has been repeatedly rejected and banned by conservative evangelical complementarian Calvinists. Growing up in an independent […]

The biblical view from the Tower of Babel

September 15, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on September 15, 2022 at Baptist News Global. Few stories in the Bible highlight the complexities of deconstruction and the way it divides us into speaking very different theological languages like the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. “What did Babel’s builders do wrong? Why did God punish them as he did? […]

Schools and spanking: Isn’t it time we stopped used religion to justify violence?

September 2, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on September 2, 2022 at Baptist News Global. “Make education violent again” seems to be the slogan for a public school district in Missouri. The Cassville School District decided on June 16, 2022, to bring back spanking after parents requested for the schools to spank their kids. In a scene reminiscent of […]

Desiring God is denying reality

August 30, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on August 29, 2022 at Baptist News Global. Last week, it was the almost humorous riff on beards as signs of God’s favor on manly men. This week, it’s a not-at-all funny critique of Critical Race Theory and intersectionality — by a white man who is the father of a multiracial set of […]

‘So you’ve been deconstructing, huh? What do you believe now?’

August 23, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on August 23, 2022 at Baptist News Global. There is perhaps no greater trend in American Christianity than deconstructing the theology and ethics of white evangelicalism. Books, articles, podcasts and even music are being created daily to explore the reasons why so many people are leaving the faith they’ve known. And there […]

No, Dan Patrick, God did not write the U.S. Constitution

August 15, 2022 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared on August 15, 2022 at Baptist News Global. “We were a nation founded upon, not the words of our founders, but the words of God because he wrote the Constitution.” So said Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at the second Conservative Political Action Conference held this year with the theme “Awake, Not Woke.” The conference was […]

Why you don’t need to play a drinking game to understand the wonder of the James Webb Space Telescope’s first images

July 18, 2022 /0 Comments/in , , /by

This article originally appeared on July 18, 2022 at Baptist News Global. A moment more than 13 billion years in the making happened last Tuesday as the James Webb Space Telescope revealed its first five images to the world. Hailed by NASA as “the dawn of a new era in astronomy,” the images revealed a deep field of […]

There’s a straight line from eugenics to ‘biblical family values’ to white supremacy and the anti-abortion movement

July 5, 2022 /0 Comments/in , , , /by

This article originally appeared on July 5, 2022 at Baptist News Global. Pro-life conservative evangelicals erupted into unanimous jubilation at the news of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. But while united in their celebration, they are divided in their vision for the future of the pro-life movement and unaware of its past. Karen Swallow […]