Respect the women
Friday Roundup for April 24, 2026
Yours truly cannot tell you what happened inside Waco Hall on the campus of Baylor University Wednesday evening because I was not allowed in. Not only was I excluded as media, but all sorts of other people also were kept out.
Baylor blames Turning Point USA and TPUSA blames Baylor. There’s plenty of fault to go both ways in the sad sage of TPUSA bringing its “This Is the Turning Point” tour to the Baptist university campus. But we do know this for a fact: TPUSA has a history of lying about all sorts of things.
And in this case, I’m going to give some grace to Baylor administrators who, as I wrote Wednesday night, got run over by the TPUSA bus not once but multiple times. TPUSA is not a trustworthy organization — and not just because they prop up the most corrupt president in American history. They are not trustworthy because they do not tell the truth. And because they platform horrible people.
You just can’t get much more ethically challenged than Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was a last-minute substitute at Baylor for presidential son and grifter Donald Trump Jr. Someone asked me which of these two men I thought was more ethically challenged, and I couldn’t choose.
Keep in mind that on the very day of the TPUSA event at Baylor, the U.S. Secret Service publicly accused Erika Kirk of lying about why she didn’t go on stage at the tour stop at the University of Georgia. She claimed there were security concerns and she didn’t feel safe. But the Secret Service said there were no security threats, as was evidenced by the fact that Vice President JD Vance was there and went on stage as planned.
“At Baylor, TPUSA lied about so many things it would take an extra bear paw to count them all.”
At Baylor, TPUSA lied about so many things it would take an extra bear paw to count them all.
For all the handwringing over those of us who inconveniently pointed out that Charlie Kirk also was a liar and a bully, there is constant vindication. Because without Charlie’s “charm” — if that’s what you call it — all that’s left of TPUSA is the meanness.
Part of the ongoing lie about TPUSA is that the organization is committed to open dialogue. That’s always been a charade. And it’s no wonder they didn’t want media in the room
Wednesday night because the crowd was — once again — small and the language was toxic.
Based on reports from students who got in, the evening featured all the standard MAGA lies and disinformation — such as claiming the redistricting vote in Virginia was swayed by “illegal aliens.”
But something much worse happened, and this has been confirmed by multiple people who were present. And oddly, TPUSA posted a social media clip confirming the exchange but twisting into something else.
Thanks to the intrepid student journalist at the Baylor Lariat, we have a report directly from a Truett Seminary student who was involved in this episode, Kyle Perry.
Far-right podcaster Benny Johnson — again confirmed by multiple reports — compared dealing with liberal women to wrangling pigs.
“I think about biblical Scripture that talks about not letting any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up,” Perry told the Lariat. “That doesn’t seem like that fits the bill for me.”
The report continues: “During the Q&A portion, Perry asked Johnson, ‘If you are going to say something like this and you believe, as the Bible says, that you’re going to have to give an account for the words that you use before God on Judgment Day, how do you see this conversation going?’
“Johnson didn’t answer the question. But the Turning Point USA organization did use Perry’s introduction on their Instagram to promote the Baylor campus stop. ‘It felt like they were trying to present the event as “this is a place where pastors are welcomed,’” Perry said. He said that felt very dishonest and not in line with Baylor values.”
What Johnson’s comment exposed — yet again — is how freely and frequently conservatives in America devalue women and just think that’s normal.
Why would any speaker on a public stage compare women to pigs? Jesus answered that question: “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” It seems like I’m quoting that passage of Scripture every week now.
“It starts at the top with Donald Trump, who has such a long rap sheet on this affront that even CVS could not print it all on a receipt.”
There is a moral rot within the MAGA movement that is multi-layered. One of those layers is disrespect for women. It starts at the top with Donald Trump, who has such a long rap sheet on this affront that even CVS could not print it all on a receipt.
And think about this: Of all the utterly incompetent people in Trump’s cabinet, the only ones to have been fired so far are all women. Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are just as crazy as Kristi Noem, but they’ve not been given the boot. In Trump world, men get a pass on incompetence and embarrassing actions while women are criticized.
And let’s be clear about what keeps this double standard going: Lots of Republican women who keep voting and rooting against their own interests. Chalk that up as another mystery of the universe.
Meanwhile, the Baptist General Convention of Texas keeps threatening Baylor for acknowledging the existence of gay Christians, while trying to claim they’re champions for women in ministry. Which is only partially true. Baylor’s Truett Seminary champions women in ministry so long as they aren’t lesbians and don’t want to work in churches that are fully inclusive.
I’ve explained this before but it’s important to hear again: Truett Seminary will not allow students to take field placements in churches that are inclusive. And that knocks out field placements in any Baptist church in the region with a female pastor as a role model.
Also, while a reported 40% of Truett’s students are women, most of them cannot get hired in Texas Baptist churches that are clouds without rain on the issue of women in ministry. Those female Truett graduates find placements out of state — which means BGCT churches will help educate them but won’t hire them.
Further, Truett Seminary will not work with Baptist Women in Ministry — and doesn’t want its faculty showing support for BWIM — because BWIM supports all called Christians in ministry, including gay Christians. That’s how deep the fear of gay people runs in the BGCT and at Truett.
Now, to add emphasis to this disconnect, Truett Seminary has announced its own event for women in ministry to be held this fall. And they are not working with BWIM, which is based in Waco. Why? Because … gay people.
The one thing TPUSA did for Baylor this week is make them look better by comparison.
And in fairness, we must acknowledge there are many forces for good at work on the Baylor campus. On one front, Truett Seminary is the tail that wags the dog, but across the university there are signs of welcome.
That was evident at the “All Are Neighbors” event planned as a counter to the TPUSA event. Although this event drew attention because of two gay Christian speakers, they were not the most impressive part of the program. An array of students spoke — all articulate and thoughtful and hopeful. I was seriously impressed by each of them. And their focus was not sexuality.
One of the things “All Are Neighbors” illustrated is the beauty of a fully inclusive program of high-energy, forward-looking men and women — Christians, Muslims, Hindus, atheists — working together for good.
If that kind of collaboration can ever take hold at Baylor instead of drawing lines based on sexuality, it will be a golden day indeed.
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In other news this week:
Median in-person worship attendance in U.S. congregations has increased for the first time in a quarter century as post-pandemic church shows signs of rebounding, according to a new study by Hartford Institute for Religion Research.
A federal appeals court lifted an injunction that ordered Florida to dismantle its “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta ruled against environmentalism groups and the Miccosukee Tribe.
Texas’ Ten Commandments law may be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court after an appellate court ruled it does not violate church-state separation under the U.S. Constitution.
The DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act could put long-term, law-abiding, hard-working, tax-paying immigrants and families on a pathway to U.S. citizenship. But it has divided evangelicals, illustrating divisions over Trump’s immigration policies six months before midterm elections.
Trustees of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary elected Scott Pace the school’s new president.
A Baptist journalist is responsible for identifying Pete Hegseth’s prayer as cribbed from Pulp Fiction, and his attention to detail has gone around the world.
Going to work for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Oklahoma was a natural fit for civil rights attorney Veronica Laizure, despite the fact she isn’t Muslim.
President Donald Trump is either “not too religious” or “not religious at all,” according to 70% of U.S. adults polled this month by Pew Research Center.
Democracy Forward wants to know if the Trump administration’s cancellation of an $11 million grant to a Catholic organization resulted from the president’s spat with Pope Leo XIV over the Iran war.
The Trump administration’s secretary of Labor, who has used the office to promote Christian nationalism and idolatry of Trump, has been removed as “multiple scandals and investigations closed in on her.”
Unfortunately, Gregg Phillips’ claims that he was twice teleported from one place to another aren’t the biggest problems for this top government official with a long history of shady deals, charity scams and false claims of voter fraud.
Because “covered wounds don’t heal,” American Christians must continue to expose the truth of their harmful past, Michael Woolf told the Alliance of Baptists annual gathering. That message was echoed in a second address by Kelly Brown Douglas. In a separate analysis piece, I wrote about the mood at the Alliance meeting and what lies ahead for the nearly 40-year-old denomination.
“America Reads the Bible” kicked off in Washington, D.C., Sunday morning, April 19, with actress Patricia Heaton — of Everybody Loves Raymond — reading aloud Genesis chapters one and two.
Many of those tasked with shuttering the U.S. Agency for International Development last year were completely unaware of the agency’s purpose and effectiveness, a former USAID official said.
Tennessee now will recognize June as “Nuclear Family Month” instead of following the national trend of recognizing Pride Month for the LGBTQ community.
We originally reported that Mark Driscoll would preach at Donald Trump’s “Rededicate 250” event on the National Mall in May, but it turns out Driscoll was not invited to that event. What really happened here is hard to sort out.
The federal government’s move against Southern Poverty Law Center is also an attack on religious pluralism, freedom of conscience and First Amendment safeguards for all American people and religious communities, said Amanda Tyler.
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In other analysis this week:
Melissa Deckman and Diana Orcés of PRRI tackle an important question about religious life in America today: What’s really going on with Gen Z? They compare PRRI data and Gallup data.
Stephen Aber isn’t a fan of the saying, “You can believe whatever you want. Just don’t force it on me.” It just doesn’t work, he says, in an evaluation of evangelical guilt.
Josh Shepherd reviews the new animated version of George Orwell’s Animal Farm from “values-centric” Angel Studios. He urges caution.
Lewis Brogdon recently traveled to the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, an advisory body to the Human Rights Council of the United Nations. He was impressed with a UN resolution declaring American slavery constituted “crimes against humanity.”
Richard Hester recounts what happened in 1987 when the faculty of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary faced the takeover of their institution by outside forces determined to impose ideological litmus tests.
Braxton Wade tells the inspiring story of Alfred Street Baptist Church giving away $1million to keep local residents from being evicted.
Robert P. Jones says he doesn’t believe President Donald Trump understands the political risk of picking a fight with Pope Leo XIV. Jones has the data to make his case.
Rick Pidcock tells us about Trust Me: The False Prophet, the latest docuseries from Netflix exposing the dark underground of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Josh Olds warns us about Palantir and its parallels to Lord of the Rings.
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In other opinion this week:
Eboni Delaney and Julienne Louis-Anderson: “Women need less religious shame, more leadership”
Michael Chancellor: “Protecting the gift: A call to parental vigilance”
Norman Jameson: “Unearthing an unnecessary death”
Justin Cox: “When Al Mohler takes up serpents, I’ll listen to his views on women”
Brad Bull: “Church names the FCC might fine you for saying on TV”
David Gushee: “Post-evangelical churches are succeeding”
Edmond Davis: “The Bible is not just a white man’s book”
Cynthia Astle: “Confessions of a cancer caregiver”
Rodney Kennedy: “When baptism becomes a carnival”
Ken Sehested: “Resurrection’s joy ascends, but so, too, its detractors”
Richard Conville: “Backfilling history”
Catherine Meeks: “It’s time to try a new approach on racial healing”
Will McCorkle: “The blame for Trump’s messiah complex lies with Franklin Graham”
Braxton Wade: “In conversation with my grandmother”
A final word
We’ve crossed a surprising and happy milestone this week at BNG. We’ve had the largest-ever readership in any 30-day period in our history. By the time the month of April ends, we will have had more than 1 million pageviews of content on our site for the month. That’s about one-sixth of all our website traffic last year, by comparison.
A couple of articles hit the big time — particularly the one about Pete Hegseth firing the U.S. Army chief of chaplains, which we broke nationally. But a whole lot of our content is getting read widely right now, and we are thankful for that.
Thank you for reading and sharing and supporting this vital work. We are glad to be in this educational partnership with you, our readers. Let’s keep having these change-making conversations.
Mark Wingfield
Executive Director and Publisher
Baptist News Global