Recent Articles
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
Pride
For way too long, our LGBTQ+ colleagues and friends have suffered under an exclusionist theology and unjust legal system. Even though the greatest rejections came from the church, God loves and affirms LGBTQ+ individuals.
Baptist Chaplain to Lead Air National Guard Chaplain Corps
Colonel Leah Botona Boling has been chosen to serve as the director of the Air National Guard Chaplain Corps. As an Asian American Pacific Islander woman, she is the first person of color to hold the position.
What It Looks Like When We Fight Like Christians
Music. Décor. The bulletin font. Christians fight over so many things that don’t matter. We need to get a grip and develop a sense of what really matters: loving neighbor and God with our whole being. Now, that’s worth fighting for.
Bible Reading, Prayer Most Common in Southern US Cities
The US cities where Bible reading and prayer are most common are in the south, a report said. Monroe, Louisiana, reported the highest percentage of residents who read the Bible weekly at 64% and the highest weekly prayer at 94%.
June 24, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: White Gen X and Millennial Evangelicals are Losing Faith in the Conservative Culture Wars; Drop in Evangelical Christian Support for Israel, Study Shows; Atheists, Humanists Sue Over Mississippi’s “In God We Trust” License Plates; and more
Tell the Truth
When twisted ignorance and religious zeal combine, the result is particularly noxious. Take, for example, the mom who told her local school board that the COVID-19 vaccine ‘comes from the pits of hell.’ It’s absurd, irrational.
Pride: A Virtue All Underdogs Can Embrace
The word pride has never held much of a good reputation within Christianity. For those who hold all the power, pride is one of the worst sins. But what about the underdogs? For them, pride is a virtue to be embraced.
‘Say It, Don’t Spray It’: When It’s OK to Get Close
We don’t like it when someone enters our personal space uninvited, especially when the invasion includes a projectile of spittle. Other times, a sense of too-closeness is OK when it involves race, sexuality or class, to name a few.
June 23, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Supreme Court Asked to Rule if Boston Can Legally Refuse to Fly Christian Flag at City Hall; In Oklahoma, the 1995 Bombing Offers Lessons – and Warnings – for Today’s Fight Against Extremism; Black Lives Matter Loss Lawsuit Over Removal of Protesters from DC Park for Trump’s Church Walk; Condos in 140-Year-Old Denver Church Fly Off the Market; and more
Jenga for Jesus
It’s not that risky to ignore or downplay Jesus in many churches but try removing the Jenga block of white nationalism or American exceptionalism or patriarchy or white privilege or cultural dominance. Then see what happens.
Here’s How Science Protects You From the Next Pandemic
Gain of Function Research, or GoFR, is the alteration of an organism in order to increase specific abilities for future study. GoFR represents science at its best, but safety measures need to be iron clad to avoid human error.
US Evenly Divided on Abortion’s Morality
US adults are evenly divided on the morality of abortion, a Gallup report found. Roughly half (46%) of respondents say abortion is morally wrong while 47% say it is morally acceptable – a three-point jump from 2020.