Esau McCaulley

Wheaton

Contributing Opinion Writer at The New York Times

Author: How Far to the Promised Land; | NT prof @wheatoncollege | Contributing opinion writer @NYTimes | Senior Editor for @HolyPostpodcast | Priest for C4SO

Articles

'Adolescence' and the Surprising Difficulty of Hugging a Teen Son

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Esau McCaulley

My relationship with my teenage son is different and, I think, quite warm. Still, I know that struggle. As my eldest son exited early childhood, his shoulders broadening to match mine and his voice shifting a register, I wondered what to do with this emerging adult that now inhabited my house. As someone who grew up without a dad around, I lacked a healthy model to imitate. I didn't know how to tear down that wall of silence and mystery that creeps up between parents and their teens.
Don't Like What Trump Is Doing? You Have More Power Than You Think.

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Esau McCaulley

For this Lent, the Rev. Jamal Bryant, the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church near Atlanta, didn't urge the 10,000 members of his congregation to give up chocolate or coffee. Instead, he called for a 40-day "fast" from shopping at Target because of its decision to pull back on its commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion. Other influential African American congregations across the country followed suit, and now over 150,000 people have signed up to participate.
On Donald Trump and the Inscrutability of God

Jan 21, 2025 | theatlantic.com | Esau McCaulley

Many themes run through the Christian Bible: grace, forgiveness, concern for the suffering, love for neighbors, the pursuit of holiness. One theme that stands out clearly is the inscrutability and transcendence of God.
La visión de Martin Luther King es especialmente relevante ahora

Jan 21, 2025 | almendron.com | Esau McCaulley

El lunes se celebra el Día de Martin Luther King Jr. y también es el día en el que Donald Trump tomó posesión como 47º presidente de Estados Unidos. Podría parecer un binomio extraño, especialmente para quienes creemos que Trump ha avivado una cultura de escepticismo, negación e indiferencia ante la injusticia. Sin embargo, si algo nos enseñó la vida de King, es que la esperanza es más útil cuando la evidencia va en sentido contrario, hacia la desesperación.
M.L.K. Is a Model of Hope Just When We Need It

Jan 20, 2025 | nytimes.com | Esau McCaulley

On Monday we're celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day and inaugurating Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States. That may seem like an odd pairing, especially to those of us who believe Mr. Trump has fueled a culture of skepticism, denial and indifference to matters of injustice. But if Dr. King's life taught us anything, it is that hope is most useful when the evidence runs the other way toward despair. Set against dark times, hope points us toward something better.
Not-So-Silent Night

Dec 24, 2024 | theatlantic.com | Esau McCaulley

“Silent Night” is one of the most popular Christmas hymns, often sung in churches lit only by candles. The song describes a “tender and mild” infant Christ slumbering undisturbed in “heavenly peace.” Another beloved hymn, “Away in a Manger,” also focuses on the theme of divine serenity: It speaks of animals making noises but the child Christ being different. “The cattle are lowing,” goes one verse.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese Deserve Better

Sep 18, 2024 | nytimes.com | Esau McCaulley

The Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese rivalry has been a central W.N.B.A. story line this season. The two most-watched games have been between Clark's Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky, Reese's team, even though both players are rookies. And they've received a tremendous amount of media coverage and discussion on sports media shows.
Contributing opinion writer for The New York TImes, Author at The Iola Register

Sep 18, 2024 | iolaregister.com | Esau McCaulley

What to know about the investigation into the apparent assassination attempt on Trump
The New Testament in Color : Esau McCaulley

Sep 4, 2024 | book2look.com | Esau McCaulley
Engaging the Whole Body of Christ in Interpretation

Aug 14, 2024 | outreachmagazine.com | Esau McCaulley

I was sitting in a coffee shop, books taking up too much space on the tiny table in front of me, bemoaning the lack of attention the academy paid to the Black church and the distinctive interpretative habits of African American church leaders and scholars. My time in religious higher education had signaled in ways large and small its belief that the tradition that shaped me had little to say to the rest of the world. The important ideas and trends arose in Europe or White North American spaces.