Recent Articles
Woe to Churches Shaming Women and Protecting Abusers
Too often churches have protected wolves in suits and ties, in clergy robes and collars, diminishing and discounting the horrific experiences of women and children. Woe to those who care more about the appearance of godliness than its application.
K-12 Parents Diverge from General Public on COVID Mandates
Mask and vaccine mandates to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 are supported by a majority of U.S. adults. However, a new Gallup report found lower levels of support among parents of school-age children.
Malala Yousafzai Continues to Model Courage, Entrepreneurial Spirit
Now 24, Malala Yousafzai continues to demonstrate how to carry out disruptive innovations that empower people to create compassionate change. The world is a better place because of her.
Liberation Requires Direct, Communal Action
The efforts of Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) and others resulted in an extension to the pandemic eviction moratorium. Her actions are a testimony to the power of communal work.
Protecting Children from COVID Is Worth Potential Family Strife
As Delta variant cases surge among the unvaccinated in the U.S., parents will have to make hard decisions to protect their children that could cause strife with extended family. Here are five suggestions to help you navigate the months ahead.
U.S. Correctional Population Declines for 12th Straight Year
More than a decade of population decline in the U.S. correctional system continued in 2019, according to a new government report. Still, there were over 6.3 million people in the U.S. correctional system that year.
August 6, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Judge Wendell Griffen Criticizes Christian Conservatives Refusing Masks and Rejecting Vaccines; Evangelicals Voice Support After Biden Nominates First Muslim to Religious Freedom Post; Fox News Viewers’ Vaccine Skepticism Drops to Record Low, Poll Finds; and more
Christians, Please Stop Killing Yourselves and Others
White evangelical Christians are declining the COVID-19 vaccine based primarily upon political rhetoric and misinformation. Please, stop killing yourselves and others. Getting the vaccine does not devalue your faith.
Sacrificing Children in Bible-Quoting and -Toting America
Vaccine resistance and rejection of mask wearing remains high in the Bible-quoting and Bible-toting portions of the U.S. Sadly, many Christians seem willing to sacrifice our nation’s children to the fire of COVID-19 variants.
Vaccine-Resistant Christians Are Testing God
Speeding past “Dead End Ahead” signs on a “road to nowhere” is an apt description of the vaccine-resistant. Those who are Christians among this group are testing God.
August 5, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Sociologist: The Anti-Vaccine Con Job is Becoming Untenable; Wade Morris, Falls Creek Camp Guest Pastor, Dies of COVID-19 Complications; ‘Pray Away’ Director on Conversion Therapy: ‘It’s a Movement of Hurt People, Hurting Other People’ The Stunning, Norse-Inspired English Church of Balestrand, Norway; and more
Waste Not … Your Influence
“Waste not, want not” is sage advice for many areas of life, including our personal influence. Let’s find creative ways to encourage the vaccine-resistant to get their shots to help save lives.
The Strangest Pastoral Advice I’ve Ever Given
Many LGBTQIA+ persons have endured negative, harmful words from churchgoers. Everyone benefits when we lay aside a violent, white, male god in order to embrace lives that are more Christ-like.
Free Webinar: “The Christian Case Against Conversion Therapy”
A free webinar exploring the dangers of conversion therapy for members of the LGBTQ+ community is scheduled for Aug. 24 at noon CT. The event is co-sponsored by Baptist News Global, Good Faith Media and Q Christian Fellowship.
August 4, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Religion Scholar: We’ve Finally Begun to Confront White Christian Nationalism, But What About its Source Text?; Oklahoma Pastor and Republican Party Chair Employs Star of David to Protest Vaccine Requirements; Supreme Court Justice Breyer Rejects Maine Church’s Attempt to Block Delta Variant Restrictions that Don’t Exist; and more
Fox Is Not a Friend
A pleasant hotel breakfast was derailed by a “Fox and Friends” segment heavy on outrage and light on facts. An alternative reality has been produced by this media outlet, which puts money and influence before truth and the common good.
Why We Returned to Virtual Worship Gatherings
Congregations have faced many challenges throughout the pandemic. One church shifted to virtual, then in-person, then virtual again, learning important lessons about community in the process.
Why Do I Stay in the Church?
Critics of the church are sometimes excessive and unbalanced, but, for the most part, the church is guilty as charged with a long list of sins. How can you stay in a church that did these things?
August 3, 2021
In today’s curated and news analysis headlines: Why is the South the Epicenter of Anti-Abortion Fervor?; Many Faith Leaders in North Texas Embracing Their Role in Vaccine Push; It’s Mindboggling, it’s Crazy’: ‘A Moral Obligation’: Black Ministers are Leading Rallies for Voting Rights Just as They Did During the Civil Rights Era; and more
In Church and Politics, Words Can Hide Insidious Aims
From church business meetings to political forums, if you look closely, you’ll see the true, often insidious, motives behind flowery words. It is all about power, control and self-interest.
4 Reasons You’re Paying Too Much for Health Care
The epidemic of over-treatment has caused soaring health care costs and placed excess strain on the system. Many clinics and hospitals have become dependent on the additional revenue from excessive tests. What can we do? Two things.
Less than Half of U.S. Households Give to Charitable Causes
The number of U.S. households contributing to charitable causes fell below 50% in 2018, according to a new report. Giving to both religious and secular causes has been declining steadily since 2000, mostly due to fewer households making donations.
August 2, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Scholar: After Living Three Years Inside a Kalamazoo Church Avoiding Deportation, Pakistani Immigrant Rediscovers Freedom; Why Did a Republican Senator Ask a Biden Nominee if He Believes in God?; A Trump Supporter was Arrested After a Church Prayer Group Member Sent Texts to the FBI that Showed Him Inside the Capitol Building on January 6; and more
Prez Words Push Closer to Vax Mandate
The push for vaccine mandates against COVID-19 picked up steam with President Biden’s announcement that federal workers and contractors will have to prove they’ve been vaccinated. Some states and the VA have already made the decision.
Olympics Superstar Champions Mental Health
Olympics superstar Simone Biles has her priorities right. The renowned gymnast withdrew from further competition in the Olympics to preserve her mental health. We ought to focus on the mental health of our athletes, not on medals.
Bracing to Face COVID-19 Wilderness – Again
After what seemed like a delightfully ‘normal-ish’ summer of vacations and visits with family, the season ahead once again feels uncertain. Rising case rates of COVID-19 have us bracing ourselves for the wilderness – again.
July 30, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: “It Was Clear the Terrorists Perceived Themselves to be Christians”: The January 6 Select Committee Cannot Ignore the Pervasive Christian Nationalism Present That Day; Religious Leaders Weigh Reinstating Mask Mandates and Whether They Could Upset Some Members; Cutting Carbon Pollution Quickly Would Save About 74 Million Lives, Study Finds; Southern Baptists Join Catholic Bishops in Asserting ‘No Constitutional Basis’ for Abortion at All; and more.
White Christian Nationalism Fuels Insurrection
The firsthand testimony of four police officers left little doubt that what happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6 was nothing short of a failed insurrection. And the fuel that ignited that insurrection? White Christian nationalism.
Olympics Earn Gold Medals in Racism, Sexism
Both before and after the Summer Olympics’ opening ceremonies took place, we watched athletes – the best in their sport – drop out, get kicked out or be fined. We witnessed blatant racism and sexism. Is the church any different?
When Police Protect, Serve Some Over Others
Critiquing law enforcement does not equal hate or disdain for them. It is a desire to see them more consistently follow their oath to ‘protect and serve’ everyone. Sadly, police favor whites with more respect than other citizens.