Author: Steven Teague

“The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South” is a new movie based on the historical book.

Eighty years ago, a 33-year-old Christian theologian named Dietrich Bonhoeffer returned to his native Germany after a short stay in the United States. He would not live to see his 40th birthday. The Lutheran and Episcopal Churches, as well as other religious bodies worldwide, recently commemorated the annual remembrance of German Lutheran pastor, theologian, and resister of Nazi totalitarianism and terrorism. On April 9, 1945, after being in held prisoner for two years, Bonhoeffer was hanged for his association with others who resisted Hitler and the atrocities his party committed against Jews, Germans, among others. Evidence showed the group...

I have read, watched, and listened to responses to the recent decisions of the United Methodist Church, at their global meeting in St. Louis. A friend and colleague, the Rev. Dr. Frederick Schmidt, said it well: “Protestantism is made for schism and our tradition of national conferences or conventions has become a thin veil for the political maneuvering and animosity that is rife in the public square.” Rev. Schmidt is right on. In my years of ordained ministry, I have been part of church bodies that splinter and divide by votes and political maneuvering. It is sad. Dear UMC...

I am a confessing white, privileged priest with more blindspots in my ego than I like to admit. I am grateful for a month each year – February – when people of different races and religions meet together for programs, speeches, dinners, and worship services. For a month we specifically focus on, learn about, and honor accomplishments of our citizens of African origin and heritage that have gone unrecognized, particularly by people like me. Years ago I directed a program for churches on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. The area was deeply segregated by race, class, and income....