Recent Articles
Loyal and Critical: A Lesson Well Learned
Revisionists try to gloss over the real reason the Southern Baptist Convention was formed. Here’s a hint: It didn’t have anything to do with missions. Such whitewashing – even when repeated and repeated – gets nothing clean.
History is Not Dead and Buried
Three so-called residential schools for Indigenous children could possibly be the sites of mass murder, and churches may share in the blame. We don’t need more official statements. We need more shovels to dig up this dirt.
How Some Doctors Can Refuse to Treat You
Can medical professionals refuse health care services because they would violate their personal religious or moral beliefs? Some laws are allowing it. Two issues are competing here: access to services and respect for personal beliefs.
Pessimism Reigns Over US Moral Values
Nearly half of US adults believe the state of moral values in the nation is currently poor, with more than two-thirds expressing the sense that the country’s moral values are getting worse, Gallup found.
July 6, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Hobby Lobby Faces Backlash Over Newspaper Ad Calling for Christian-Run Government; Her Family Owned Slaves. Can She Make Amends?; 125 Church Campers in Texas Test Positive for COVID 19; Race, Evolution and the Science of Human Origins; and more
People of Good Faith: Charlotte Cook Smith
Charlotte Cook Smith was a legal assistant for more than 40 years in corporate and private practice. She is currently serving on Good Faith Media’s strategic advisory board.
Most U.S. Christians Call Nation ‘Christian Country’
More than two-thirds of self-identified Christians in the US believe that ‘historically, the United States has been a Christian country,’ a report said. That’s four points higher than 2019 when 63% affirmed this view.
Look Back | July 4th Worship Requires Caution, Courage
Our country has a checkered history when it comes to conflating nationalism with Christianity, which often peaks during the week leading up to Independence Day. How do pastors plan a worship service? Proceed with caution and courage.
July 2, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Famous Texas Barbecue Joint, Whose Profits Support Church Next Door, is Resurrected; It’s a Quirky, Historic Hobby for the Bellringers Still Pulling the Ropes at Boston’s Old North Church; Biden’s 2020 Margins Came from Atheists, Agnostics; Trump’s White Evangelical Backing Rose: Pew Study; Researchers Identify Brain Circuit for Spirituality; and more.
Good Faith Media: Year One
One year ago today, during a global pandemic, a social uprising for racial justice and a very contentious presidential election, Good Faith Media went live. Our successful first year was thanks to your support and generosity.
We All Have Power to Bridge Divisions
It’s a myth that Jews and Muslims have always been at odds. For hundreds of years, Muslims, Christians and Jews lived in relative peace in the Middle East. We share a deep, rich history. Islam and Judaism have much in common.
What It Takes to Reform Broken Prison System
The prison industrial complex in the US is peppered with limitations and failures. We need to shift from a crime-and-punishment model to one that’s more healing and transformative. To bring about change, 3 things need to happen.
Starlette Thomas, Alyssa Aldape Join GFM
Starlette Thomas and Alyssa Aldape have joined Good Faith Media. Thomas began today as director of the Raceless Gospel Initiative and associate editor, while Aldape started as a contributing correspondent in June.
July 1, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Megachurch Pastor Issues $200k Reparations Payments Each to Survivors of Tulsa Massacre; A Church in Brazil Takes on a New Mission, Baking Bread for the Poor; British Methodist Church Says Yes to Same-Sex Marriages in ‘Momentous Step on the Road to Justice’; and more
That Wasn’t Kosher …
Jews aren’t allowed to eat pork, right? Archaeological sites associated with Israelite settlements typically contain very few pig bones, making a recent find all the more remarkable. An entire skeleton of a pig in Jerusalem.
Church Relaunches Tutoring Program During Pandemic
A Baptist church in North Carolina launched a volunteer-led tutoring program for neighborhood children several years ago. Then the pandemic hit, forcing the church to close the program. Here’s how they started it up again.
Why Many Adults Cite Religion for Vaccine Snub
Nearly one out of four (24%) US adults are resistant to getting the vaccine; a large majority of them say they are unlikely to change their minds. What’s going on here? Many of them object on religious grounds. Here are their reasons.
June 30, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: The Christian Right Used COVID to Win Rampant Religious Exemptions; A Maryland Attic Hid a Priceless Trove of Black History. Historians and Activists Saved it From Auction; D.C. Area Church Members Help Cancel $9 Million in Medical Debts; Key Findings About Religion in India; and more
Not Knowing All Baptist Women Pastors Is a Good Thing
More women are in pastoral roles now than only a few generations ago when one could recite the few names from memory. While that’s good, barriers still remain, even within congregations that claim to support gender equality.
‘Revs on the Road’ Podcast Launches Today
The newest addition to the Good Faith Media podcast suite, ‘Revs on the Road,’ premieres today (June 29), featuring Jenna Sullivan and Ashley Robinson exploring the country, searching for God, the church and faith in 8 episodes.
As Your Church Regathers, What’s Next?
During a long season of isolation during the pandemic, congregants have realized how crucial their physical presence with one another is to life in Christ and in the church. They should not neglect taking time to recover and learn.
June 29, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: ‘Negro Leagues Embodies the American Spirit,’ Says Museum President at Timmons Hall, a Former Church Building; Why a Christian Mom from Little Rock Took Care of Over 1,000 Gay Men Who Had AIDS; How Joe Biden is Navigating a Catholic Church in Conflict; and more.
Quitting Church for Practicing Business as Usual
Young adults are opting out of church as it used to be. They’ve been denied authentic, equal and full participation. Refusing to be treated like children, they’re looking for and creating a better and healthier faith tradition.
Dear Queer Soul: Here’s Why It Will Be OK
I thought of you sitting on your couches, sitting in church pews and armchairs. Wondering if you would be OK, if it would get easier. Rest assured, you are perfect the way you are. I pray you feel God’s hand grip yours tightly.
Most Believe Religion’s Influence Declining
Most US adults feel religion’s influence is in decline, Gallup found. Only 16% believe religion’s influence is increasing, a 22-point drop from April 2020 and only two points above the all-time low of 14% in 1969 and 1970.
June 28, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Case File on 1964 Civil Rights Worker Killings Made Public; A Florida Man Admitted Storming the Capitol, Feds Say. Then He Told the FBI His Pastor Came With Him; Portland Congregation Races to Get Members Vaccinated Before Oregon Opens; I Submitted to Conversion Therapy to Please My Mom and Jesus; and more
People of Good Faith: Carol Boseman Taylor
Carol Boseman Taylor is the author of I Promise. Rejoice, a devotional guide published by Nurturing Faith, the publishing imprint of Good Faith Media. She and her husband have three adult children and five grandchildren.
Forget Southern Baptists; We Have Our Own Issues
The Southern Baptist Convention dominated discussions again following its annual meeting. For those of us who have left the denomination, it’s time to shift focus and deal with our own sexism, racism and exclusion of LGBTQ+ folks.
US Prison Population Drops; Jail Numbers Surge
With an overall decline of 41,400 inmates through the first half of 2021, the total US incarcerated population stands at just under 1.77 million currently, with nearly 1.2 million in prisons and more than 573,000 in jails.
June 25, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Rev. Jesse Jackson Among Those Arrested at Protest Outside Capitol Over Stalled Voting Civil Rights Bill; Virginia School Board Halts Public Comment on Controversial Transgender Policy, 2 arrested, Franklin Graham Chimes In; Senator Ted Cruz Rallies White Christian Nationalists by Calling Acknowledgment of Black Slavery and White Privilege “Racist”; Inside the ‘Shadow Reality World,’ Populated with Many White Evangelicals, Promoting the Lie that the Presidential Election was Stolen; and more