Free Republic

I am writing as a Christian pastor — a Baptist, no less — serving churches for the past 52 years. Of course, I favor Christianity. And in my ministry, I invite persons to consider faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, it may seem surprising that I am a leader of an effort in Kansas City during this election year to resist White Christian nationalism. White Christian nationalism does not invite people into faith, but rather seeks to dominate, control and coerce not only individuals, but society.

Baptist Pastor and Mayor F.L. “Bubba” Copeland found himself at the center of a storm, necessitating a public apology to his congregation after being exposed for his clandestine activities as a cross-dresser online. “I apologize for any embarrassment caused by my private personal life that has come publicly,” Copeland solemnly stated, addressing his congregation and the wider church community through a video message. “Congregation, church…” a shaken up Bubba Copeland said standing in the pulpit. “”I have been an object of an internet attack.” “An article that was written about my capacity as the mayor, capacity as the pastor. The...

When a Vacaville woman tried to end her relationship with a former Baptist minister in late 2013, he told her that she'd created a monster. On Wednesday, Sarah Nottingham explained to a Solano County Superior Court judge that for a week, then-Pastor Mark Lewis showed her what a monster he could be. Nottingham's words came during the sentencing hearing for Lewis, who in January pleaded no contest to charges of arson and stalking. Judge Dwight C. Ely sentenced Lewis to eight years in prison Wednesday in connection with the case that proceeded to a jury trial earlier this year, only...

Oleksandr Turchynov, a well-known Baptist pastor and top opposition politician in Ukraine, took office on Sunday, Feb. 23, as acting president after the Parliament voted to oust President Yanukovych.... ...... Monday night in Kiev, Turchynov, 49, spoke publicly for the first time since taking office as acting president. According to an unofficial translation, he said, "Unprecedented cruelty and brutality of the dictatorial regime did not stop citizens. They selflessly gave their lives to defend their rights—and won.... "Our first task today is to stop the confrontation, to regain control … to ensure peace and tranquility, to prevent new victims, local...

With just a few clicks on an ancestry website, I recently traced my own U.S. immigration story to 1650 - just 30 years after the Mayflower's landing - when my nine-times great grandfather, John Whitlow, stepped off a boat into what would later become Virginia. Undoubtedly, he did not have permission or a visa from the Rappahannock Indians, so truth be told, he was an "undocumented" arrival. Considering the complexity of my own family tree, alongside my experiences growing up in central Texas, I have to ask myself: How should I respond as an evangelical pastor to the current immigration...