Entries by Rick Pidcock

It’s Al Mohler vs. Andy Stanley, part two, with Christianity Today joining the fray

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

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on October 5, 2023. “Farewell, Andy Stanley.” So seems to be the response from Al Mohler, Christianity Today, and many other evangelicals to Stanley’s defense of North Point Community Church hosting the Unconditional Conference for LGBTQ Christians and their parents. Sam Allberry, writing for Christianity Today, argues Stanley “seriously undermined” a “New Testament sexual ethic.” As […]

Religion’s Power: What Makes It Work (Review)

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

This article originally appeared at ‘Reading Religion,’ a publication of the American Academy of Religion. In Religion’s Power: What Makes It Work, Robert Wuthnow investigates the power dynamics of religion by studying the mechanisms by which it is practiced. Drawing on his ethnographic and historical experience in sociology and religion, he proposes that religion’s power to […]

What does Shannon Harris think now?

October 2, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on October 2, 2023. We first met her nearly two decades ago as a neatly wrapped character named Shannon Hendrickson in a bestselling “Boy Meets Girl” book written by her ex-husband about his theology of courtship after kissing dating goodbye. The character we were told about had led […]

Criticism of Andy Stanley is rooted in father wounds

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

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on September 21, 2023. LGBTQ kids who grow up in conservative evangelical families tend to have father wounds because evangelicals view LGBTQ people as given over by God to a reprobate mind for the degrading of their bodies and therefore eternally condemned. The challenge many conservative evangelical parents […]

Must we change our language to reach climate change deniers?

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

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on September 19 2023. How can journalists reach evangelicals who get triggered by the term “climate change”? This is the question Rebecca Randall asks in a piece last week for BioLogos. Despite the fact that 97% of scientists accept climate science and 92% of Americans who identify as “highly religious” […]

A new metaphor could change the views of white evangelical conservatives

August 29, 2023 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on August 29, 2023. Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington is an opportunity to reflect not only on the vision of Black liberationists, but also on how conservative white evangelicals’ resistance to change is continuing through an entitlement to power rooted in insecurity. Al Sharpton, […]

Another C.S. Lewis knock-off letter shows what evangelicals get wrong about sex

August 22, 2023 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on August 22, 2023. Note: This article includes an explicit discussion of sexuality. Desiring God’s latest installment of cheap Screwtape Letter knockoffs features Greg Morse attempting to mimic C.S. Lewis’ classic novel by writing a letter from a “marriage counselor” demon named Grimrod to his dear nephew Globdrop. In […]

Here’s how Fox News misled viewers in support of Kirk Cameron’s anti-woke book tour

August 11, 2023 /0 Comments/in , , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on August 11, 2023. Last Saturday afternoon, historian Kristin Du Mez sat down at her computer to see if her new friend Lindsay Booker had posted any updates about the gathering Booker organized earlier that day at the Madison Library in Huntsville, Ala. Even though Du Mez was […]

Appealing to religious freedom is the way to counter Christian supremacism in America today

August 7, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on August 7, 2023. Christian supremacism has gotten completely out of hand in the United States. We’ve seen it in the insurrection warfare of the New Apostolic Reformation, the battle against librarians by the likes of Kirk Cameron, the desire to punish homosexuality by Al Mohler, Dan Patrick’s claims that God wrote the […]

Why the patriarchy is hyperventilating over Barbie

July 28, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on July 28, 2023. I wasn’t allowed to watch Toy Story 2 when I was 21 years old because the trailer depicted a group of Barbies in bikinis led by Tour Guide Barbie. So when I found out some influential conservatives were having a conniption fit over the Warner Bros new Barbie movie, […]

What’s really happening with the ‘never attenders’ and what does Donald Trump have to do with it?

July 21, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on July 21, 2023. I haven’t attended church in almost four years and can’t imagine going back. I don’t share this lightly. I was so dedicated to the church that I structured my entire career spanning two decades cleaning restrooms and floors in order to have the flexibility to volunteer many hours […]

2023 was the year the evangelical obsession with Pride month turned violent

July 13, 2023 /0 Comments/in , /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on July 13, 2023. I toted my brood of children through Target, as Kevin DeYoung suggested, when suddenly I noticed the display of Pride T-shirts. At first, I thought it was nice that my LGBTQ neighbors would receive kind messages like “Free Mom Hugs” and “You Belong.” It seemed especially […]

Why I have empathy for Karen Swallow Prior

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

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on July 5, 2023. “I’ve been struggling with regret lately, specifically in feeling like I wasted my whole academic career (given how things have turned out),” tweeted Karen Swallow Prior three months after resigning from the faculty of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. When she announced her retirement in March, Prior […]

Complementarianism may promote the death of the family

June 28, 2023 /0 Comments/in /by

This article originally appeared at Baptist News Global on June 28, 2023. “Lois! Get me my 10-cubed Pepsi!” my former Bible professor would yell across the house in their biblical home. His wife would immediately drop whatever she was doing, fill a glass with exactly 10 ice cubes, pour his Pepsi, and hand it to him […]

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 […]