Recent Articles
July 26, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Facebook’s Next Target: The Religious Experience; Vaccines are a ‘Personal Decision,’ Hillsong Church Founder Says after Congregant Refuses Shot and Dies of COVID-19; Josh Mandel Bets Push for Judeo-Christian Revolution Will Win Him Ohio Senate Seat; New York Becomes Sixth State in U.S. to Ban Child Marriages; and more.
COVID-19, Inflation, Inept Gov’t Plague Cuban People
A series of complex crises devastate the Cuban people. Escalating numbers are dying of COVID-19, inflation continues to rage, and they are angry at the inept responses of a government worried much more about power than people.
Investing Financial, Moral Capital Beyond Stained-Glass Walls
To help bridge the gap between religious institutions and faith-based social entrepreneurs, one nonprofit created a fund in which grants are distributed. The first five recipients, seeking to improve the common good, were chosen.
Insurance Giant: No Coverage for Inapt ER Trips
A trip to the ER can cost 12 times more than a visit to your primary-care doctor. Yet one insurance giant claims many folks are wrongly visiting the ER for medical care. But it’s easier to be seen in the ER than by your family doc.
July 23, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: The World’s Largest Muslim Organization Just Honored Evangelicals; US Churches Reckon with Traumatic Legacy of Native Schools; Missouri Church Leaders Implore Congregants: Get Vaccinated; Israeli Restaurants are Changing Their Kosher Certification – and Signaling a Religious Revolution; and more
Your Faith Can Make Us Well
The COVID-19 Delta variant is wreaking havoc on the unvaccinated. And as the virus mutates to stay alive and our kids are exposed to future mutations, we must set aside our divisions in order to protect our most precious commodity.
When Everyone in Your Church Needs You All at Once
When a pastor cares for just one family navigating a difficult time, it’s stressful enough. This pandemic-infused pastoral ministry meant caring for hundreds of families, all feeling the throes of the pandemic differently.
Gimme That Old-Time Religion? No Thanks, Say Many
After an uptick in 2020, public confidence in the church or organized religion slipped in 2021. The only institution that didn’t see a dip in Gallup’s annual survey was police, which also ranked third in terms of public confidence.
July 22, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: These Christian Lawmakers are on the Offensive Against Abortion; Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas Law Banning Most Abortions; Bookstore’s Viral TikTok Calls Out Shoppers Who Turn Around LGBTQ+ Books to Hide Covers; Among Mormon Women, Frank Talk About Sacred Underclothes; and more
Folks on Earth Hunger as Mega-Rich Race to Space
While many don’t know where their next meal is coming from, should a couple of uber-rich guys spend millions of bucks to go into space for a rollercoaster ride for the wealthy? Do those of us in our cozy lifestyles give any better?
Gideon’s Jug? Hold Your Horses
Archaeologists in Israel recently published the discovery of an ancient inscription that may carry the name Jeruba‘al, a nickname the biblical account attributes to Gideon, one of Israel’s ‘judges.’ Should we get excited?
Blustering Opinionists Aren’t in Arena Doing Work
In the world today, you have opinionists – some armed with microphones – who point out how the people in the arena stumble or could have done better. Then you have folks in the arena, who fall but get up again to do the work.
July 21, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: What’s Next for Christian Zionists?; Bible Society’s New Philadelphia Museum Retells American History with a Religious Slant; Social Conservatives ‘Frustrated’ Over Trump Supreme Court Justices’ Rulings; and more
Making Claims Doesn’t Make One Right or Righteous
Those who wave the biggest flags and display the largest crosses often confuse the two allegiances of patriotism and Christianity and rarely represent the best of what either means. They’re the ones we need to watch closely.
Why COVID-19 Vaccines Won’t Stick You to Fridge
Beware the COVID-19 vaccine. It can turn you into a human magnet, so says one anti-vaxxer activist. This outlandish claim, like so many other anti-vax arguments, have been around for over a century. They fall into three categories.
Why It’s Never Too Late for Healing
Maybe you forgot what you had done. Maybe you weren’t paying attention. But something or someone reminds you that you have sinned. The spiritual bruise of the act has never healed, even if it has faded. Can you still make amends?
July 20, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Co-chair of Poor People’s Campaign Among Nearly 100 Women Arrested at March for Voting Rights in D.C.; Proud Boys Leader Pleads Guilty to Burning DC Church’s Black Lives Matter Banner; Promise Keepers Says it Has Changed. The Times Have Changed More.; and more.
Church Hurts: Bullies Must Be Called to Task
Church members pick fights, bully and destroy the faith and spiritual lives of others, all to maintain power, to dominate the narrative, to control sacred space. The church has bodywork to do. It’s time to hold them accountable.
This Prophet Didn’t Mince Words with Oppressors
At a casual reading, Nahum sounds shockingly harsh for those of us who believe in an all-loving God. But this is Nahum’s message: The empire in any time and place that inflicts untold suffering on others is not unaccountable.
Pandemic Pushes 320M More into Food Insecurity
The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact adds another layer of challenges to ending global hunger, bringing an estimated 320 million more people into a situation of food insecurity, a UN report said. And 161 million more experienced hunger.
July 19, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: How ‘In God We Trust’ Bills are Advancing a Christian Nationalist Agenda; Denominations Have Begun Creating Special Prayers for Fatal Mass Shootings; Can California Churches Save Theaters?; and more
Force-Feeding Immigrants: A Brutal Practice
The medical community has reached a growing consensus that force-feeding is morally wrong. Yet, the US government still regularly practices it as immigrants and asylum-seekers in detention facilities have gone on hunger strikes.
Top Fall 2020 Sermon Topics: Election, Pandemic, Racism
Most US churchgoers heard sermons in the fall of 2020 that mentioned the pandemic, the election or racism; sometimes, they heard two or all three of these topics, a report found. COVID-19 was the most likely topic to be mentioned.
Look Back | How We Blame Race for Our Behavior
When it comes to race, we speak as if we have no say, no will, no power at all. Race is not all that there is to say about humanity. Each of us needs to be more fully in Jesus Christ and less as race’s color-coded bodies.
All Aboard! Next Stop: New Opportunities
Many churches have been on the platform, watching the train of opportunity leave the station. Now, an emerging generation of Christians are getting on board to tackle racial inequality, climate change, income inequality and more.
Why So Many Ignore Their ‘Bleeding’ Neighbors – Part 2
Two things keep our nation from providing decent health care to the poorest of our neighbors. The first is a pathological individualism; the second is a structural racism based on conscious and unconscious commitment to caste.
Latest Nurturing Faith Book Invites You on ‘Breathtaking Journey’
In Still Going to Mullinix, join Jerry Haywood on a ‘breathtaking journey’ of fun, suspense, interesting critters and intriguing people – the latest book from Nurturing Faith, the publishing imprint of Good Faith Media.
Season 2 of ‘Raceless Gospel’ Premieres July 18
Season 2 of ‘The Raceless Gospel’ podcast, hosted by Starlette Thomas, will premiere on Sunday, July 18, on all streaming platforms. With the theme of ‘Bodywork,’ eight new episodes will drop, with a new installment each Sunday.
The Best Thing about Summer
Climate change has wrought havoc to so many things. Change isn’t going to happen without popular support from people willing to reduce their own carbon footprints. So get out there and start growing your own homegrown tomatoes.
How So Many Ignore Their ‘Bleeding’ Neighbors – Part 1
Newborns in 10 counties in Mississippi have a shorter life expectancy than newborns in Bangladesh. Yes, you read that right. A state filled with good Baptist people, the government has refused to expand Medicaid to help its own.