Opinion
Giving Me a Break
When your to-do list seems to be on top of you rather than you on top of it, it’s time to take a break. Refusing to accept the demand to be productive is holy.
Rashad Hussain ‘Uniquely Qualified’ for Religious Freedom Post
If confirmed by the Senate, Indian American Rashad Hussain would be the first Muslim to hold the position of U.S. Ambassador At Large for International Religious Freedom. He is uniquely qualified for this position.
How Simple Acts Can Counter Meanness
Expressions of anger and meanness seem to be on the rise, straining relationships and making social interactions more difficult. A smile or simple greeting can help change this trend.
Racial Discrimination Informed ‘War on Drugs,’ Fueled Opioid Crisis
The U.S. is facing an epidemic in opioid abuse and overdose deaths. Racial discrimination has historically resulted in minorities not receiving needed pain medications, while whites were overprescribed opioids and, thus, developed addiction at higher rates.
What is Truth?
Truth can seem elusive, ever-evolving through time and perspective. However, truth is rooted in our honest pursuit of it and an agreement on factual evidence.
Why You Should Trust Your Doctor, Not Your Facebook Feed
The pandemic has revealed many troubling trends, one of which is the tendency for people to treat themselves medically based on anecdotal evidence. Trust your physician, not your Facebook friends.
What Does True Repentance Require?
If victims were the only ones who understood oppression, who would help them? It’s a question worth pondering, with the Hebrew people’s liberation from Egypt offering insight into possible answers.
Refugees Never Lose Longing for Home
Refugees are seeking to make the best of the bad hand they have been dealt. No matter how good the conditions might be in the country into which they are received, the longing to return home never leaves them.
Balancing Trees
Watching a neighbor’s trees being removed, I wondered what metaphorical trees might need attention in my life. Some will likely need to be removed, while others just require pruning.
Baptist Pastor Recognized for Lifetime Contributions to Cuba
Raúl Suárez received the Orden Félix Varela, one of Cuba’s highest honors, from President Miguél Díaz-Canel Bermúdez on Aug. 6. This recognizes his lifetime working for religious liberty and social justice.
Choosing the Right Path
Little in Americanized Christianity resembles what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. Each day, we have a choice to follow a power-driven religion or to follow the path Jesus set before us.
‘Pray Away’ Reveals Trauma Inflicted by Conversion Therapy
A new film demonstrates the trauma and abuse inflicted upon the LGBTQ+ community by religious-right evangelical groups through so-called conversion therapy. ‘Pray Away’ is currently streaming on Netflix.
Pandemic Lessons from a Century Ride in the Alabama Heat
A century ride in Alabama in late July offered an important lesson in the kindness of strangers. Let’s be sure we welcome people who are struggling into the ‘tent’ for respite and care.
Building Community Is Hard, But Essential Work
A new school year is upon us, even as COVID-19 continues to plague us due to the rapid spread of the Delta variant. Building community is difficult, but vital work to model a better way for future generations.
What Christians Owe the World When Neighbors Fight
Moral obligation is difficult to discern due to limited resources. With the collapse of the democratic government in Afghanistan, the obligations are before us and it falls now to the body of Christ to open its hands.
Should Christians Claim Religious Exemptions from COVID-19 Vaccinations?
Exemptions to vaccine mandates are granted for religious and other reasons. But should Christians cite their religious beliefs as the basis for not receiving a vaccine that can save both their life and those of their neighbors?
Rich-Poor Gap Seen in Global Vaccine Distribution, Access
Wealthy nations are starting to roll out booster shots for the vaccinated, even as low-income nations struggle to obtain a sufficient number of initial vaccines. This is both greedy and shameful.
Why You Should Leave the Bible Out of Dating
The church doesn’t have a great track record ministering to adult members who are single, and an even more awkward history when it comes to single clergy. Leaving the Bible out of dating could bring about positive changes.
What We’ve All Suffered We Should Not Inflict
It is right and proper to pause and reflect on the souls lost or damaged because they sought to exercise the freedom of conscience. It is tragic that it has been necessary to formalize such an observance.
The Perils of Conversion Therapy
Good Faith Media released a series of interviews this week with survivors of conversion therapy. This project focuses not on biblical interpretation but on the results that conversion therapy has upon participants.
More than Words, Observances Must Accompany Declarations
Declarations and annual observances focused on human rights must move from lips to hearts for transformative change to take place. Despite our failings, let’s continue to have hope, faith in humanity to seek justice for all.
Gov. Abbott Needs to Tell Lone Star State, ‘Don’t Mess with COVID’
COVID-19 is ‘messing with Texas’ due, in large part, to Gov. Abbott’s anti-mask mandate stance. Having tested positive for the virus, he needs to change his attitude and approach for the good of all people in his state.
Seeking Light Streams Amid Genocide’s Darkness
People of good faith must follow Jesus’ example by expanding their circle of empathy. Then, let’s urge our elected leaders to work for the good of all people, striving to end genocide and violence against religious minorities.
Mushrooming Change
There’s no more time to waste in order to avoid the worst impacts of Earth’s changing climate, a new UN report emphasized. Not only government policies, but also personal habits and practices must change.
Remembering the Realities of Faith Freedom for All
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protect the exercise of religious belief (or non-belief) freely and ensure that it is a reality for all, including those who subscribe to minority religions.
To Be Anti-Zionist Is Not to Be Anti-Jewish
Many U.S. churches need an awakening when it comes to Israel and Palestine. Influenced by dispensational theology, too many do not realize that to be anti-Zionist is not to be anti-Jewish.
The Abuses and Idolatry of American Exceptionalism
To teach American exceptionalism requires ignoring a whole lot about this nation while romanticizing a faulty version of its history. And to do so is, indeed, idolatrous.
Religious Minorities’ Plight Too Often Overlooked
The plight of religious minorities is getting worse, as government restrictions on religion increase worldwide. We must renew our commitment to full participation of religious minorities in economic, social and cultural/religious life.
Autonomous Weapons Systems Raise Moral Questions
The emergence of autonomous weapons systems (AWS) raises moral and ethical questions about their use. Just war theory has guided military engagement for generations, but AWS cannot follow two key elements of this framework.
Churches Have a Faith Problem: Not Believing Women
Repeat a lie long, and often, enough and people will believe it’s true. Some men in the church have been doing this since Christianity began, refusing to believe women are truth-tellers and gospel-proclaimers. It’s past time for this to change.