Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected] or on social media @liamsadams.

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Why These Conservative Evangelicals Rejected Christian Nationalism

by Liam Adams 06-26-2026
Delegates press their transmitters to vote on a motion during the PCA General Assembly at the Kentucky International Convention Center on June 24, 2026 in Louisville, Ky.

Political theorist Stephen Wolfe, along with ministers Zachary Garris and Sean McGowan, all believe the government has a role to “promote true religion.”

Wolfe is a self-avowed Christian nationalist. However, Garris and McGowan don’t use that title.

The three men teamed up to write a book that presents an alternative view on religious liberty for peers within the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), which just advanced a report denouncing Christian nationalism.

“Many American Christians assume a secular form of government,” Garris, a New Mexico pastor in the PCA, said in an interview. “And our book challenges that. It’s rather simple.”

As Southern Baptists Weigh a Predator Database, a Look At How They Work

by Liam Adams 03-07-2019

Photo by Sergey Zolkin on Unsplash

For over a decade, activists have pushed for the creation of a database in the Southern Baptist Convention that would list credibly accused predators. They argue that, using such a database, a church’s hiring committee could check candidates against the list, thus preventing some of the shuffling of predators that the SBC and other denominations have seen. The SBC has yet to adopt the idea, however, arguing they can’t exercise authority over local, autonomous churches and make them report abuse. Survivors and activists , however, say that shouldn’t stop the SBC from trying.

Life After Heresy

by Liam Adams 03-01-2018

‘The Heretic’ Explores Increasingly Disaffiliated Expressions of Faith

The Heretic, a new documentary about controversial author and thinker Rob Bell, offers a new image of Christianity and faith. The film traces Bell’s work since the release of his hair-raising book, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, which questioned the damnation of human beings to hell.