Tag Archives: religion
‘When I Spoke in Tongues’ Chronicles a Long Walk Away from the Church
For readers who’ve wrestled with their religious upbringing, Jessica Wilbanks evokes a powerful sense of loss: the loss of the person she used to be, and of the person she might have become, had she stayed inside the fold.
On a research trip to Nigeria, Houston writer Jessica Wilbanks fills out a questionnaire after attending a Pentecostal church service. The form asks a series of...Read More
A New Pray-the-Gay-Away Drama Suggests Conversion is Possible (Just Not the Kind You Think)
Poignant awards-season fare, Boy Erased makes the case against the Christian “cure” for homosexuality.
What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? That, more or less, is the question asked by the new Joel Edgerton-directed film Boy Erased, w...Read More
The Christian Right’s Politics of Cruelty
The policies pushed by politicians like Donald Trump and Dan Patrick are anything but Christ-like.
It’s an especially bitter irony. You might expect that the rise to power of politicians who either are outspokenly Christian or have overwhelming support from...Read More
Under Trump, Islamophobic Pastor John Hagee’s Star Rises Again
Despite closing in on 80 years old, San Antonio megachurch pastor John Hagee may be a man in renaissance.
On a Sunday morning in late June, John Hagee took the stage in his palatial north San Antonio megachurch, his white hair slicked back and his imposing jowls ob...Read More
Professor Trill
Rapper Bun B on Port Arthur, resilience and the meaning of trill.
The Bayou City loves Bernard “Bun B” Freeman so much that he’s been given the title “Houston’s unofficial mayor.” But the Grammy-nominated renaissan...Read More
‘I Can’t Date Jesus’ Chronicles Growing up Black, Queer and Catholic in Houston
Michael Arceneaux’s first book is a logical extension of the polemic, confessional style he’s perfected online.
The book begins, “Before that day, I hadn’t been to church in five Beyoncé albums.” Some people measure time in years; others, like Houston-born, Harlem-...Read More
Loon Star: Ken Paxton and Scripture
Ben Sargent To see more political cartoons from Ben Sargent, visit our Loon Star State section, or find Observer political reporting here....Read More
Dan Patrick, the Person, is Trying to Save the World from Dan Patrick, the Politician
When Patrick is presented with collective problems, his response is inevitably to respond in terms of individual action.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick announced last week that he would personally donate “up to 10” metal detectors to Santa Fe ISD, the school district where ei...Read More
Growing Secular Movement Could Indicate Change in Political Tide — Even in Texas
“Elected officials are using their narrow Christian beliefs to create laws and policies to the detriment of the population of all Texans,” a state House candidate said.
“The future of American voters is secular.” So said Sarah Levin of the Washington, D.C., nonprofit Secular Coalition for America, speaking to a standing-roo...Read More