Lifestyle
Pastor pushed out after parishioners complain about focus on racial justice
Pastor Benjamin Boswell, who was pushed out as the senior minister at Myers Park Baptist Church, is seen Sunday, Jan. 26, in Charlotte, N.C.
Sam Wolfe for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Sam Wolfe for NPR
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Sunday after Donald Trump won a second term, Pastor Ben Boswell took to the pulpit at Myers Park Baptist, a liberal church in Charlotte, and delivered the sort of blunt, provocative sermon for which he is well known.
Boswell likened the moment to what he called the “gathering dark of Hitler’s rule.” He added that Trump’s election would lead to the “crucifixion” of immigrant families as well as transgender and nonbinary people.
“But our faith also teaches us … that every crucifixion needs a witness,” Boswell said. “The fight is not over, it’s just beginning.”
The congregation, including the board of deacons, the church’s governing body, gave Boswell a standing ovation.
Several weeks later, the board met on Zoom. They voted 17-3 to ask Boswell to step down. NPR obtained the audio.
It provides a rare window into the debate within an organization when the tone of its social or political messaging clashes with its business model.
Conversations we rarely hear
Marcy McClanahan, then head of the board, said the first reason Boswell needed to go was plunging attendance. Myers Park had gone from average weekly attendance of about 350 when Boswell arrived in 2016 to about 150 last year.
“Ben has been given every chance to change his words and actions to appeal to a broader audience,” McClanahan said, “but has not been successful in doing so.”
Myers Park Baptist Church has a rich civil rights history and sits in one of Charlotte’s wealthiest neighborhoods.
Sam Wolfe for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Sam Wolfe for NPR
Fellow Deacon Robert Dulin was more direct.
“We have got to put more butts in the seats, butts in the seats,” he said.
In a statement later, Dulin said he personally loved what he called Boswell’s “powerful prophetic preaching.”
The problem, he said at the meeting, is that too many other parishioners didn’t. Dulin said many people who had left the church in recent years had complained about the 44-year-old pastor’s heavy focus on social and racial justice.
“Indicted because I’m white”
Dulin paraphrased what he said he had heard over and over from those who had quit the parish: “I am tired of being indicted because I am white. I am tired of being banged over the head every week about immigrants and LGBTQ, and I just want to come to church and be encouraged.”
Carol Pearsall, who is 73 and a longtime church member, said she heard the same thing from outgoing parishioners and knew what they meant. “I was ready for less guilt-trip and more love,” said Pearsall, who added that she remains a fan of Boswell’s and never considered leaving.
Asked if the pastor’s removal was an attempt to save Myers Park, she responded: “Absolutely.”
Boswell says the conflict at Myers Park is part of a much bigger national trend to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion programs. He thinks the country is in a pivotal moment, when “that work is coming with a cost, and people are getting tired and backing off.”
Nicholas Rhyne, who grew up in the church and is a Boswell supporter, says the divisions in Myers Park reflect those in the Democratic Party writ large. He’s 30 and says people in his generation came of age during the global financial crisis, climate anxiety and the polarized politics of the past decade, and were excited and inspired by Boswell to make change. Meanwhile, he says, some older members of the congregation prefer to take a slower, more measured approach.
“There’s a group of us who are younger and more passionate and maybe a tad more progressive who are fed up with just being told to wait, don’t worry,” said Rhyne. “There’s definitely a generational divide.”
Nicholas Rhyne, 30, grew up in the church and says he supports former Pastor Ben Boswell. He says the divisions in Myers Park reflect those in the Democratic Party writ large.
Sam Wolfe for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Sam Wolfe for NPR
“Sacred cows make the best hamburgers”
McClanahan, the former head of the board of deacons, told NPR that Boswell was not pushed out over politics or his preaching. Instead, she said, the church needed to focus more on other areas of its strategic plan, including faith development, the church community and sustainability.
“Ben’s an excellent preacher,” she told NPR, “but there’s more to leading a church than preaching.”
For instance, some say Boswell focused too much on social justice and not enough on tending the flock.
Bob Thomason, a former chairman of the board of deacons, said most or all of the congregation supports social justice. “But for some people, being able to focus on social justice … would be a welcome luxury because they have alcoholic spouses,” he said. “They have children that are addicted. They have cancer. They have these personal needs.”
Thomason, who said he was speaking as a longtime church member, said Boswell wasn’t great at the pastoral part of the job.
“We were basically taking care of ourselves as best we could,” he said.
Boswell disagrees and says he supervised a staffer who was devoted to pastoral care full time.
During his nine years at Myers Park, Boswell says he pushed the church to confront what he called its whiteness. Several years ago at an anti-racism seminar, he said Myers Park needed to change its wedding policy, which had been described as “WASPy,” and decolonize its interior space as part of what he called a “whiteness audit.”
Boswell says he ran into resistance from congregants who, for instance, told him to take down Black Lives Matter signs at the church. Boswell persisted.
“I like to joke [that] churches have sacred cows,” Boswell said during the anti-racism seminar. “Sacred cows make the best hamburgers.”
Myers Park Baptist Church is a mostly white congregation known for its focus on racial and social justice.
Sam Wolfe for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Sam Wolfe for NPR
Declining attendance and giving
But as people left Myers Park, their contributions left with them. Since 2020, the church budget has shrunk by nearly a quarter, according to McClanahan.
Declining giving and church attendance are a national phenomenon, but some on the board of deacons saw it as an existential threat.
“Ben needs to leave in order for our church to take a different direction and grow because we are dying on the vine,” Dulin told his fellow deacons during the board meeting.
Myers Park is an overwhelmingly white church in a neighborhood where mansions can sell for up to $4 million. It has a proud civil rights history and wears its inclusivity on its red brick walls. One giant sign on the front of the church reads: “80 years of inclusivity, community, spirituality and justice.” Another reads: “Open to all, now and forevermore.”
In the board meeting, then-Deacon Allen Davis warned that getting rid of Boswell would make it difficult to sell that message.
“What will come out is that we’ve snatched the keys from the … minister who had been pushing us to confront whiteness to challenge racial justice in our community,” said Davis, one of three deacons who resigned in protest after the vote.
Allen Davis, who quit as a deacon at Myers Park, says the removal of Pastor Ben Boswell makes it much harder for the church to sell its message of inclusivity.
Sam Wolfe for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Sam Wolfe for NPR
McClanahan insisted to NPR that the church will continue to advance racial and social justice. “One person’s leaving does not change that path at all,” she said.
“The church betrayed me”
Some congregants are skeptical. Bruce Griffin is a warehouse worker in Charlotte who joined the church more than five years ago. He says Boswell created a wonderful, welcoming community. Now, he’s bitter.
“I feel the church betrayed me,” said Griffin, standing outside the church during a meeting called to address the turmoil over Boswell’s departure. He said the meeting was all business.
“There was no hugging,” he said. “There was no fellowship.”
When asked about the fact that some white congregants said they felt beaten down by Boswell’s continued emphasis on social and racial justice, Griffin responded that as a Black man he felt beaten down every day.
Griffin said he planned to leave Myers Park.
Elizabeth Peterson, on the other hand, said she was attending for the first time in years. She said Boswell divided the church, which she said seemed more focused on people of color and LGBTQ+ folks than on white women in their 60s like her.
“I wished that he could have brought his energy for diversity and for change of the culture of the church and included us to come with him,” said Peterson, who said she might return to Myers Park.
Elizabeth Peterson, a parishioner at Myers Park who drifted away in recent years, says the church seemed more interested in people of color and LGBTQ+ folks than older, white women like her.
Sam Wolfe for NPR
hide caption
toggle caption
Sam Wolfe for NPR
Boswell has heard this criticism before. He says when someone has been part of the dominant culture for so long, the focus and attention on anyone who’s been marginalized feels like a slight.
He knows some people think he made a mistake by focusing so much on racial and social justice, but he said he’d do it again.
“My feeling is that as a progressive congregation, as a progressive pastor, our job right now is not to back away,” Boswell said, “but to double down.”
Ariana Grande arrives at the 83rd Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
The brightest stars in TV and film kicked off the 83rd annual Golden Globes tonight in Beverly Hills, Calif. with Ariana Grande, Noah Wyle, Teyana Taylor and George Clooney are just some the names who walked the red carpet. This year’s ceremony was hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser.
Here’s a glimpse of what some of the attendees are wearing tonight.
Michael B. Jordan
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Ryan Coogler and Zinzi Evans
Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images
Jean Smart
Jordan StraussInvision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan StraussInvision/AP
Teyana Taylor
Jordan Strauss/Invision/Invision
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/Invision
Jenna Ortega
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Owen Cooper
Jordan Strauss /Invision/Invision
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss /Invision/Invision
Sara Wells and Noah Wyle
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Claire Danes
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Stellan Skarsgård and Megan Everett-Skarsgard
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Amy Poehler
Jordan Strauss/ Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/ Invision/AP
EJAE
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Amanda Anka and Jason Bateman
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Paul Mescal
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Adam Brody and Leighton Meester
Jjordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jjordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Laufey
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Chris Olsen
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Lisa Ann Walter
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Jacob Elordi
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Ryan Destiny
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Jennifer Garner
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Rose Byrne
Jordan Strauss/Invision//AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision//AP
Kate Hudson
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Snoop Dogg
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Timothée Chalamet
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Miley Cyrus
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
George Clooney and Amal Clooney
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Leonardo DiCaprio
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Michel Martin
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Steve Inskeep
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/AP
Leila Fadel
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
A Martinez
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Amanda Seyfried
Jordan Strauss/Invision/InvisionAP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/InvisionAP
William Stanford Davis
Jorden Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jorden Strauss/Invision/AP
Tessa Thompson
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Kathy Bates
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell
Jorden Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jorden Strauss/Invision/AP
Skylar Diggins
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Monica Padman
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Adam Scott and Naomi Scott
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Jayme Lawson
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Maya Rudolph and Paul Thomas Anderson
Gilbert Flores/Penske Media/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Gilbert Flores/Penske Media/Getty Images
Emma Stone
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/AP
Nischelle Turner
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/AP
Brett Goldstein
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Parker Posey
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Vince Gilligan
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Chloé Zhao
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Mark Ruffalo and Sunrise Coigney
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Hannah Einbinder
Jordan Strauss/ Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/ Invision/AP
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/AP
Justin Sylvester
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
Judd Apatow and Lesley Mann
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Keltie Knight
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Sarah Snook
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Glen Powell
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Piper Curda
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Justine Lupe
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Helen Hoehne
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Natasha Rothwell
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Minnie Driver
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Orlando Bloom
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Hudson Williams
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
Connor Storrie
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Erin Doherty
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Wanda Sykes
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Nikki Glaser
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
Julia Roberts
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Emily Blunt
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Chris Perfetti
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Rhea Seehorn
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Dakota Fanning
Jordan Strauss/Invision/Invision
hide caption
toggle caption
Jordan Strauss/Invision/Invision
Queen Latifah
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP
2026 Golden Globes
Nikki Glaser Shouts Out Rob Reiner …
Dons ‘Spinal Tap’ Hat at Close of Show
Published
Rob Reiner wasn’t forgotten at this year’s Golden Globe awards … because host Nikki Glaser paid tribute to him just weeks after his murder.
Here’s the deal … during the sign-off for the awards show, Nikki came onstage wearing a black and white “Spinal Tap” hat — the band which serves as the subject of Reiner’s iconic 1984 mockumentary of the same name.
Worth noting … the Golden Globes do not typically air an in memoriam — so this was the only time Reiner was mentioned at the show.
As you know … Rob and his wife Michele Singer Reiner were found dead in their Los Angeles home last month. Their son Nick Reiner has been arrested for murder in connection to the case.
TMZ.com
Nick’s arraignment was scheduled for last week … but, his lawyer Alan Jackson dropped out of the case — leaving Nick with a public defender and new arraignment date set for late February.
Jackson told a gaggle of reporters outside the courthouse that Nick’s not guilty … but, he simply can’t defend him. He did not provide a reason for his withdrawal.
Our new documentary “TMZ Investigates The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened” dives into Rob and Michele’s grisly deaths … as well as Nick’s history of mental health issues and even how his weight gain set him on a dangerous path.
“TMZ Investigates The Reiner Murders: What Really Happened” is now streaming on Hulu.
On-air challenge
Today’s puzzle is called “Pet Theory.” Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the first word start starts PE- and the second word starts T-. (Ex. What walkways at intersections carry –> PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC)
1. Chart that lists all the chemical elements
2. Place for a partridge in “The 12 Days of Christmas”
3. Male voyeur
4. What a coach gives a team during halftime in the locker room
5. Set of questions designed to reveal your traits
6. Something combatants sign to end a war
7. Someone who works with you one-on-one with physical exercises
8. Member of the Who
9. Incisors, canines, and premolars that grow in after you’re a baby
10. Nadia Comaneci was the first gymnast to score this at the Olympics
11. What holds the fuel in a British car
Last week’s challenge
Last week’s challenge was a numerical one from Ed Pegg Jr., who runs the website mathpuzzle.com. Take the nine digits — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. You can group some of them and add arithmetic operations to get 2011 like this: 1 + 23 ÷ 4 x 5 x 67 – 8 + 9. If you do these operations in order from left to right, you get 2011. Well, 2011 was 15 years ago. Can you group some of the digits and add arithmetic symbols in a different way to make 2026? The digits from 1 to 9 need to stay in that order. I know of two different solutions, but you need to find only one of them.
Challenge answer
12 × 34 × 5 – 6 – 7 + 8 – 9 [or] 1 + 2 + 345 × 6 – 7 × 8 + 9
Winner
Daniel Abramson of Albuquerque, N.M.
This week’s challenge
This week’s challenge comes from listener Ward Hartenstein. Think of a well-known couple whose names are often said in the order of _____ & _____. Seven letters in the names in total. Combine those two names, change an E to an S, and rearrange the result to name another famous duo who are widely known as _____ & _____.
If you know the answer to the challenge, submit it below by Thursday, January 15 at 3 p.m. ET. Listeners whose answers are selected win a chance to play the on-air puzzle.
Detroit man arrested following manhunt for double murder in Tennessee
George Kittle used bottle of tequila to deal with devastating Achilles injury
Parents fear closing of Good Street Learning Center as leaders push to stay open
College football player transferred from Miami to Indiana before national championship
When will the big nor’easters return? Boston in midst of second-longest streak without hefty snowfalls. – The Boston Globe
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
San Antonio ends its abortion travel fund after new state law, legal action
UN top court set to open Myanmar Rohingya genocide case
Arson engulfs Mississippi synagogue, a congregation once bombed by Ku Klux Klan
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from enforcing mail-in voting rules in executive order
Four killed, 20 injured in overnight Russian strikes across Ukraine
-
Detroit, MI1 week ago2 hospitalized after shooting on Lodge Freeway in Detroit
-
Technology6 days agoPower bank feature creep is out of control
-
Dallas, TX4 days agoAnti-ICE protest outside Dallas City Hall follows deadly shooting in Minneapolis
-
Delaware3 days agoMERR responds to dead humpback whale washed up near Bethany Beach
-
Dallas, TX1 week agoDefensive coordinator candidates who could improve Cowboys’ brutal secondary in 2026
-
Iowa6 days agoPat McAfee praises Audi Crooks, plays hype song for Iowa State star
-
Montana2 days agoService door of Crans-Montana bar where 40 died in fire was locked from inside, owner says
-
Health1 week agoViral New Year reset routine is helping people adopt healthier habits