Recent Articles
November 5, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: ‘Champing,’ or Camping in a Church, is a New U.K. Travel Trend (Marketplace)
Feds Prompt Michigan to Revise Religious Practice Restrictions on Prisoners; How Religion Helped African Migrants During a Risky Atlantic Crossing; and more
Is America Moving to the Right, Again?
The first election cycle following the 2020 president election raises questions about the direction in which the country wants to go. While the implications are not yet clear, people of good faith should look forward as they continue working for justice.
Disinviting Jon Meacham a Teachable Moment for the Wrong Reasons
Samford University’s decision to disinvite Jon Meacham from speaking due to student protest is the latest iteration of ‘cancel culture’ in some institutions of Baptist higher education. It offers a teachable moment for all the wrong reasons.
U.S. Majority Says Opposing Racism ‘Essential’ to Faith Tradition
A majority of U.S. adults say opposing racism and racial discrimination is an essential part of their faith, a new report finds. However, more than 10% of Black adults report facing some form of discrimination in religious settings.
November 4, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Foes of Death Penalty Offer Spiritual Support at Executions; Faith Groups Increasingly Join Fight Against Climate Change; QAnon Expert: Unhappy Believers are Now Being Lured Into Far-Right Extremist Groups; ACLU Files Suit Against Mississippi Town Over Rejection of Mosque Site Plan; and more
Let Them Learn
Education has been one of many COVID-19 casualties. First, teachers, students and parents had to navigate virtual learning. Then, another struggle emerged that might have a more enduring negative impact.
Climate Reports Paint Bleak Picture of Global Temperature Increase
Two climate reports published in late October suggest it is unlikely global warming won’t move beyond the 1.5°C pre-industrial level target. This is largely the result of commitments from nations not matching their actions.
Beware of Your Inner Circles
Polarization seems ubiquitous these days, with many rejecting John Donne’s aphorism, ‘No man is an island.’ We need to cultivate relationships with others who are different from ourselves, being open to true dialogue.
November 3, 2021
In today’s featured curated news and analysis headlines: Competing Visions of America: An Evolving Identity or a Culture Under Attack? Findings from the 2021 American Values Survey; How Extremist Christian Theology is Driving the Right-Wing Assault on Democracy; U.S. Missionaries Have Long Tried to Convert the ‘Unreached’ in the Amazon. Now Indigenous Groups are Fighting Back.; and more
Why, Yet Again, We Can’t ‘Just Move On’
White evangelicals in the U.S. are often opposed to a sober reckoning with the racial injustice woven throughout U.S. history, suggesting that we ‘just move on.’ Here is why this is both impossible and improper.
COP26 ‘Last Best Hope’ to Mitigate Climate Change
World leaders are gathered in Glasgow for COP26, a conference seen by many as the ‘last, best hope’ to mitigate climate change. Let’s stay in tune and in prayer for COP26 over the next few weeks.
Global Child Labor Increased in 2020
Child labor increased in 2020, rising to 160 million worldwide. The U.S. Department of Labor report cited the pandemic as a factor, while noting that “the story begins much earlier.”
November 2, 2021
In today’s featured news and analysis headlines:A Bible Given to Beatles’ George Harrison by First Baptist Dallas is Up for Sale; Supreme Court Turns Down Chance to Consider Whether a Catholic Hospital Can be Sued Over Transgender Rights; B&O Museum Named Underground Railroad Site; and more
Is the Health and Well-Being of Women Not a Good Use of Tax Dollars?
Discounting their voice and experience is a common reality faced by women worldwide. It’s seen in business decisions, in church actions and in legislative agreements, such as paid family leave being jettisoned from a trillion-dollar spending bill.
How Should You Respond When Someone Expresses Suicidal Thoughts?
I learned a lot about suicide while working as the mental health manager in an east Texas prison. Here is some information about how you should respond when someone expresses suicidal thoughts to you.
White Evangelical Protestants Outliers in Church-State Views
White evangelical Protestants are more likely than the general public to express a desire for less separation between church and state, a new report found. This was true across all six hypothetical church-state actions presented in the survey.
November 1, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Samford University Nixes Jon Meachem Speech on Civil Discourse Amid Anti-Abortion Pressure; Jamelle Bouie: In Virginia’s Culture Wars, One Battle Has Already Been Lost; Biden: Pope Told Me I Should ‘Keep Receiving Communion’; Number of Canadians Reporting Religious Affiliation at All-Time Low; and more
People of Good Faith: Colin Harris
Colin Harris is professor emeritus of religious studies at Mercer University, having retired from full-time teaching in 2013.
Samford University’s Decision on Jon Meacham Disheartening
Samford University disinvited Jon Meacham from speaking at a series of events connected with the university’s incoming president. While the plan is to reschedule his lecture, the decision is problematic and disheartening.
‘Dia de los Muertos’ Encourages Remembrance, Gratitude
While Halloween gets most of the attention in the U.S., the “Day of the Dead” is an observance that should be more widely recognized and understood. It encourages participants to exercise their memory and gratitude.
Look Back | After Halloween
Halloween gets most of the attention, while a long-standing, but often-overlooked, Christian observance happens the next day. Let’s use All Saints Day to remember and learn from those who came before us.
October 29, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: How a Nashville Radio Station Became a Conspiracy-Theory Hotbed in the 1990s; Families of Charleston Church Shooting Settle With Justice Department; Thousands March in Chicago Against Abortion Ban, Joining Rallies Across the Nation; and more
Faith Leaders Urge G20 Leaders to Prioritize Creation, People Over Profits
Faith leaders from five Christian organizations representing over 500 million Christians sent a joint letter to G20 leaders ahead of their Oct. 30-31 meeting. They urged a reset of the world’s economic system to adopt a more holistic approach.
Reading Opens Hearts, Minds to Change the World
Interactive reading is one way to engage children in learning about new people and places. It opens their hearts and minds to new possibilities, inspiring them to do their part to make the world a better place.
Annual Fashion Report Urges Ethical Shopping
Baptist World Aid Australia issued its annual ethical fashion report in mid-October. Despite improvements in recent years, overall grades for fashion brands remain low.
October 28, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: My Church Doesn’t Know What to Do Anymore; New Liberty University President Says on Tape that ‘Getting People Elected’ is His Goal; Bridging America’s Growing Family Divide; and more
Radishes at Work
The less-known ‘cousins’ of a common vegetable found in many salads serves important purposes other than human consumption. What lessons might they offer to people of faith?
Many in U.S. Need Remedial Citizenship Lessons
Faulty understandings and expressions of freedom abound in the U.S., often empowered by self-identified Christians. It seems a remedial citizenship class is necessary for many.
U.S. Adults Divided on Strength of Religious Conflict in the Nation
U.S. adults are evenly divided on the degree of conflicts in the nation based on religious differences, according to a new report. Where does the U.S. rank with the other nations on the perceived conflict?
October 27, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Whiteness Rooted in Place; God, Trump and the Closed-Door World of a Major Conservative Group; Is Evangelical Becoming Another Word for ‘Republican’; Majority of Gen Z Reject Organized Religion Though Most are Spiritual or Religious: Study; He Wanted to Let Homeless Neighbors Sleep in Cars Outside His Church. It Launched a Two-Year Battle; and more