Opinion
Democracy Remains a Dream, Voting Rights a Nightmare
Democracy is a work in progress as long as some suppress the rights of others in order to retain power and privilege. Black History Month declares that the struggle for equity and justice for all continues.
The Environmental Impact of COVID-19
Much attention has been given to PPE, vaccines and testing over the past two years. One crucial, but overlooked, impact of the ongoing pandemic is the significant increase in medical waste.
Celebrating All Clergy: Hearing From Children, Youth and College Ministers
Clergy burnout has long been a pressing issue for local congregations, and the pandemic has increased the pressure they feel to minister effectively. Clergy health often focuses on senior pastors, but we must expand our concern and care for all ministers.
What the Lord’s Prayer Taught Me About Praying for Daily Bread
The Lord’s prayer was presenting an increasing challenge for me – particularly the part about asking for daily bread. Upon further reflection, the prayer’s pronouns taught me an important lesson about such petitions.
Report Analyzes Influence of Christian Nationalism on Jan. 6 Insurrection
A new report on Christian nationalism analyzes the role and influence this ideological movement had on the U.S. Capitol insurrectionists. It was announced and released during a Feb. 9 webinar featuring report contributors.
What Can Moses, Aaron and Fannie Lou Hamer Teach Us About Freedom?
Hamer’s story is integral to the history of the struggle for Black voting rights, women’s empowerment, economic rights and human rights. Thinking about her life and the biblical book of Exodus offers insight about freedom.
How Health Care Data Acquisitions Could Affect Patient Privacy
IBM is in the process of selling its health care data to a private equity firm. Why does this matter? And why should you care?
HBCU Bomb Threats Continue Long History of Terrorism
Multiple bomb threats against historically Black colleges and universities were made on Jan. 4. Additional threats were made on Feb. 1, the first day of Black History Month. Such acts of terrorism have a long history.
What Is History Teaching Us?
Some in the U.S. are afraid to discuss history, preferring to avoid or cover up the nation’s dirty laundry. How we teach history will determine if we really want to live in a free society.
U.S. Faces Crossroads on Reckoning With History
The U.S. is at crossroads yet again, facing a decision to acknowledge its full history, or whitewash the sordid elements once more. It’s a time of reckoning for which each new generation must take responsibility.
Whoopi Goldberg and the Need for Holocaust Education
Whoopi Goldberg’s serious misstatements about race and the Nazi Holocaust offer an opportunity to provide education. Let’s use this time to counsel, not cancel.
How Houses of Faith Can Help Local Schools, Teachers
Teachers have often been too busy to reflect on the ways education has been, and will be, impacted by COVID-19, divisive politics and racial divisions. Here are five ways houses of faith, and people of faith, can help.
Why Does Grief Last So Long?
Grief is difficult for most folks and there are good reasons why this is true. Grief is also a journey, and there are good reasons for that as well.
Old Brews in the News
Beer has been in production for centuries – perhaps even further back than previously thought, according to a recent archaeological find in the Levant. What does the Bible have to say about beer?
It’s Never too Late to Acknowledge and Repent of Racism
Charles Hale’s murder in 1911 in Lawrenceville, Georgia, was commemorated over MLK Day weekend 2022. His lynching brought to mind another troubling event in that town’s square that took place in 1995.
On Speaking and Keeping Silent
Casual conversation over meals with friends has become increasingly difficult in recent years. Knowing when to speak and when to keep silent is a difficult decision we all must make.
Loving Our Neighbors in South Asia
One year after the military coup in Burma (Myanmar), the situation in the South Asian nation has deteriorated. How can people of goodwill make a difference? Here are three possible responses.
“O Holy Night” and the End of Oppression
A social media debate about the best Advent and Christmas hymns resulted in “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” being selected. My choice was another well-known hymn, because of its focus on the end of oppression.
Vax and Vaccine: Two Words That Divided a Nation
“Vax” was Oxford’s “word of the year” for 2021; “vaccine” was Merriam Webster’s. Why have these two words divided the U.S. so dramatically? Can people of goodwill do anything to change the situation?
How I Ministered to a Family Member With a Terminal Illness
When I learned that a family member had ALS, I knew enough about the disease to know it was a death sentence. Here is how I sought to minister to him in the final months of his life.
Theology and Spirituality – Writing About It or Writing It
Just as a piece of art is distinct from its creator, there is a difference between writing theology or spirituality and writing about these matters. Here is why the distinction matters.
Look Back | Babi Yar: 1941 Slaughter Near Kiev Mustn’t Be Forgotten
On Sept. 29-30, 1941, the Germans, with the help of Ukrainian collaborators, developed a plan to eliminate the Jewish population of Kiev. The events at Babi Yar were driven by hatred.
Retiring Justice Stephen Breyer Served With Integrity
Justice Stephen Breyer has announced his plans to retire from the U.S. Supreme Court. His legal and pragmatic wisdom will live long after his retirement from the court.
Remembering Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos
Judy Batalion shares in her book ‘The Light of Days’ largely unknown stories of women resistance fighters who worked to foil Nazi efforts. May tell their stories and honor their memory on Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Looking Sideways
As a type-A personality, my focus on the task at hand sometimes causes me to miss what’s around me. Here’s what I learned on a hike about the need to look sideways.
Caring for Educators, the Pandemic’s ‘Second Responders’
We’ve rightly sought to affirm and support the first responders to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Now, we should expand our efforts to encourage and uplift the pandemic’s “second responders.”
How to Make a Difference When Facing Overwhelming Evil
Have you ever asked, “How can I make a difference in the face of such overwhelming evil?” Learning how some people of faith did so during the Holocaust can encourage us to be faithful in opposing injustice and evil.
What Do I Get Out of Being a Christian?
Using rewards to motivate and shape behavior is common in nearly every area of life. In the religious realm, it becomes problematic as it often conflicts with essential teachings of a given faith tradition.
Annual International Remembrance Offers Powerful Message
Fear of being Jewish was never something I experienced growing up. But is it possible that the echoes of the past, those that we recall this week, are more front and center than we could have ever imagined?
Pointing Out the Church’s Hypocrisy
Contrary to alarmist claims, the church is not being attacked or persecuted. Rather, it is being carefully evaluated and closely interrogated, with many finding it lacking enough resemblance to the Jesus it proclaims.