Now, I’m not the most religious guy in the world... I believe the true message of the Bible is still highly relevant and calls on each of us to deeply examine how we live, how we respond to others, and to rise to a higher level of goodness.

Time once was when the Golden Rule was the generally accepted standard of right and wrong, good and bad, religious and atheist in America. There are plenty today who announce that the Rule applies only to white male Americans. They call themselves “Christian”, but that’s a lie. Just ask Jesus.

Many ready-to-retire American workers are under the impression that all the money that they have paid into the Social Security Fund all their working lives is sitting in an account somewhere, collecting interest, and just waiting to be drawn upon. Not so.

A Federal Reserve official recently said the quiet part out loud: the divide between the rich and the poor in this country has gotten so big that the whole economy might be in trouble. And I just… I don’t know how to break it to the folks at the Fed… but most of us didn’t need a press conference to figure that out. We live in it.

Unfortunately, my problems with the institutional church are not limited to personal experiences. Like many clergypersons, I’m a serious student of church history. And that story, from the beginning to today, is filled with one massive failure after another, far more than I can review in this article.

The Supreme Court is poised to totally gut the Voting Rights Act of 1965, an act that attempted to rectify 100 years of brutality, segregation, and discrimination against the southern Black population.

Postmodern theologian, educator, and author Rev. Dr. Mathew Fox has issued a public invitation to Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel for a debate on the meaning of the Antichrist for this American moment.

I’m deeply humbled to share that I’ve been named to @outmagazine ’s 2025 OUT100 List — recognizing some of the most impactful LGBTQ+ leaders and changemakers in the country.

Under pressure from conservatives, Baylor University recently returned a $640,000 grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation for a project titled “Courage from the Margins,” designed to study how the church can be more welcoming to LGBTQIA+ individuals.

We have our very own desaparecidos — our very own "disappeared ones" — being abducted from our midst today throughout this country. Those who are abducted and detained are sent to God knows where, often to hideous gulags overseas. But we know that many are being sent to what certainly look like enormous concentration camps being built right here in this country.

The political assassination of Charlie Kirk was a tragedy and reminder that political assassinations have no place in our country. At his memorial, America witnessed authentic grief — but we also saw something more: a chilling example of an empire wrapping itself in the pages of the Bible it never read.

When I was returning home from Ireland a few days ago, several people said, “Be glad you haven’t been here for the last two weeks. It has been awful.” I could almost feel the gloom upon landing. As if sorrow and fear rose to envelop our descending plane.

Many donations to Israeli causes move through small nonprofits, of which there seems to be an almost limitless supply. After months of reporting on this topic, I still discover new Christian Zionist groups every day. These fundraising figures actually understate the size and scope of the movement because much of the money comes from churches, which are not required to disclose their finances.

What I have to say is based on both personal observation accumulated over decades, and also based on the observations of others, including research organizations. The simple truth is that church membership is in drastic decline, and that includes not only mainline Protestants, but Catholics and Fundamentalist Evangelicals as well. Although my own personal history began in a childhood nourished by a conservative perspective, my current position is what might be referred to as progressive mainline. As a 21st-century human being and as a person unafraid to seek truth wherever it may be found, I offer the following critique of the Church and a vision for the future.

Transformation ought to be an essential part of Christianity, but all too often, it isn't.  ProgressiveChristianity.org Co-Executive Director Rev. Dr. Caleb Lines discusses how we must embrace change to experience true transformation.

The search for a meaningful life is a profoundly human quest.  When our lives overflow with meaning, we feel happy and self-realized.  But we have to work at it.  It's not given to us.

Transformation ought to be an essential part of Christianity, but all too often, it isn't.  ProgressiveChristianity.org Co-Executive Director Rev. Dr. Caleb Lines discusses how we must embrace change to experience true transformation.

American Christianity has sadly become synonymous with white nationalism, the denial of science and far-right politics. Many see churches as hypocritical, homophobic, patriarchal institutions. Is it any wonder people are walking away? This version of Christianity would be unrecognizable to Jesus, who preached radical welcome, permeating peace and God’s inclusion of all.

Scapegoating has always been a favorite tactic of authoritarian leaders because it unites people quickly and powerfully. Fear, anger, and hatred of a common enemy can unify a people more effectively than almost anything else. But scapegoating is always a lie. It never works.

Transformation ought to be an essential part of Christianity, but all too often, it isn't.  ProgressiveChristianity.org Co-Executive Director Rev. Dr. Caleb Lines discusses how we must embrace change to experience true transformation.

We, the citizens, must take back our country.  As the extraordinary late Congressman John Lewis said, we must “make good trouble”.  The only way I see this happening is through massive, non-violent protest and selective civil disobedience.  The first thing that comes to my mind is to ensure that there is no doubt about our revulsion and rejection of the inhumane ways ICE agents are so often carrying out their odious tasks unlawfully and in the manner of masked Gestapo agents. 

I’ve learned that the healthiest religious communities are those where people feel like they matter. That they’re part of something bigger than themselves, with resources available to them to live out their passions. This exponentially increases an individual’s ability to do good in their community; it amplifies their voice and strengthens their advocacy. And, most importantly, it kindles their faith.

Transformation ought to be an essential part of Christianity, but all too often, it isn't.  ProgressiveChristianity.org Co-Executive Director Rev. Dr. Caleb Lines discusses how we must embrace change to experience true transformation.

Transformation ought to be an essential part of Christianity, but all too often, it isn't.  ProgressiveChristianity.org Co-Executive Director Rev. Dr. Caleb Lines discusses how we must embrace change to experience true transformation.

When a Black woman dares to say no, when she interrupts the machinery of oppression, the state calls it a felony. Can you believe that? Nicole Collier, a Texas lawmaker, a Black woman, a daughter of resilience, is now being threatened with felony warnings for refusing to play along with the charade of gerrymandered maps.

Too often, “family values” functions less as a shared moral vision and more as a purity test. It’s a term weaponized not to unify, but to divide. It shows up in political campaigns, Sunday sermons, and social media rants, usually covered in righteousness without any introspection.

Although Federal Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke clearly ruled in favor of the church and its diocese in a District Court Summary Judgment, his decision creates an unprecedented non-precedent, since only Supreme and Circuit court decisions have that status. 

Transformation ought to be an essential part of Christianity, but all too often, it isn't.  ProgressiveChristianity.org Co-Executive Director Rev. Dr. Caleb Lines discusses how we must embrace change to experience true transformation.

Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines, Co-Executive Director of Progressive Christianity

When you are angry, be angry. When you are sad, be sad. When you feel broken, feel broken. I’m not talking about indulging any of these feelings. Nor am I talking about taking your feelings out on others. I’m talking about being honest. Vulnerable. The more we see someone as human, the more we are able to love them.