Recent Articles
History’s Curtain Rises and We’re Not Center Stage
Americanized Christianity suffers deeply from a false sense of entitlement and defensiveness rather than sacrifice and service. It’s an exercise in self-absorption. Jesus constantly turned the attention of his followers to others.
How Online Churches Boost Members’ Engagement
Churches must develop online spaces for discipleship, care, connection, support, lament, prayer and praise. An online church is always open, allowing your members to be the church where they are whenever they need to be of service.
How Our Church Will Change After COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic cast light on the state of our churches. Some will not survive the exposure, others will, but none will be unchanged. Here is how our church is making the transition this fall as we come out of the pandemic.
Why North American Church Has Work to Do
Inside our homes and turned inward during the pandemic, many of us reflected deeply on what the North American church is doing. Bungling social issues, like its silence on police brutality, the church has bodywork to do.
The 2 Big Contributors to Gun Deaths We’re Ignoring
Most Americans favor stricter gun laws to curb the 40,000 gun-related deaths each year. To address this, we should start with the suicide epidemic, which we have failed to take seriously for over a generation, and domestic violence.
Why You Need to Reconsider Death Penalty Now
It’s time to reconsider the death penalty. Some say it’s a deterrent, but no evidence supports that. On top of that, consider the racial bias in which African Americans and Latinos are more likely to receive the death penalty.
People of Good Faith: Skye Perryman
Skye Perryman serves as president and chief executive officer of Democracy Forward Foundation. She is a member of Good Faith Media’s strategic advisory board for news and opinion.
The Spiritual Benefits of Your Furry Companion
He had shaggy hair with sad eyes. My furry companion, Bowie, reminded me that we need each other. You and I need one another in times of great joy and times of great destruction. And, sometimes, it helps to just take a walk.
2 Immigrant Dads Seek to Be Kids’ Role Models
We all make mistakes, but it’s even harder when a little guy – or gal – is watching, a child who just wants to be like their dad. Here’s how two immigrant men are overcoming their poor choices to be better role models for their kids.
July 9, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Former Trump Official’s God-and-Country Nonprofit Calls CRT Threat to ‘Colorblind Society’; Critical Race Theory is Just the Latest Battle: ‘The Bible Told Them So: How Southern Evangelicals Fought to Preserve White Supremacy’; The High Cost of Becoming a None for American Muslims; and more
Kill the Indian to Save America
At the turn of the century, two Muscogee Creek children, Eloise and Ruby, were taken from their homes. The Chilocco Indian School believed that to save Indigenous people, one must kill the Indian inside. And they were not alone.
Pandemic Gave Mosque Unique Challenges
Seminary didn’t teach this: how to minister in a pandemic. Finding ways to connect to our faith communities while not meeting in person has been challenging. Here’s how our mosque met the challenge to stay open and safe.
S. Sudan Baptists Minister Amid Gov’t Instability, Hunger
Warfare, droughts, famine, widespread hunger, floods, locust swarms and a global pandemic – all of these have been endured by South Sudanese over the past decade. Through it all, Baptist pastors have been ministering faithfully.
July 8, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Virginia ‘Bible Study’ Group Was Cover for Violent Militia Plans, Prosecutors Say; Book: Trump Told John Kelly Hitler ‘Did a Lot of Good Things’; As United Church of Christ Takes on Race and LGBTQ Issues, Consensus Reigns; and more
Hearing Both Sides Now
Hearing from both sides is particularly important, especially if you have become more sensitive to racial disparities in our culture. We should take the time to listen. And it takes only one good ear to do it.
Pandemic Compelled Churches to Boost Technology
Sure, we have more rivers yet to cross, but the pandemic forced us to look at fresh ways to come together in worship, work and play. Compelled to expand beyond their ‘four walls,’ churches ventured into the vast ocean of technology.
Why True Freedom Actually Constrains You
We talk as if freedom is the absence of any constraint from doing whatever we might want to do. That is not real freedom, however. Freedom is never absolute or abstract. It’s always constrained by the realities of the situation.
July 7, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: A Horn-Wearing ‘Shaman.’ A Cowboy Evangelist. For some, the Capitol Attack was a Kind of Christian Revolt; AME Church to Address BLM, Voting Rights, in Delayed Meeting; The Pew Study’s Glazed Picture of Religious Tolerance; and more
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.