Recent Articles
After COVID, We All Have Stories That Needs Telling
In COVID-19’s desert experience of isolation, houses of faith should consider how to heal the parched social distancing when their communities come back together through the power of telling their stories of grief, loss and hope.
April 28, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Alliance of Baptists Updates its Covenant and Hears Call to Action Against Justice; Oklahoma Governor Signs Near-Total Abortion Ban into Law; We Went Inside the Tennessee Church Whose Trump-Revering Pastor Combines Politics with Christian Nationalism; The Final Hours of the Legislature: Race, Religion and Voting to the Fore; and more.
How to Respond (If At All) to Misinformation
How best should you respond to social media posts that pass along clearly inaccurate and potentially harmful information? We need to be mindful of our quick keyboard retorts. Being right isn’t always the right response.
Baptists Raised Alarm About Genocide 100 Years Ago
While it took over a century for a US president to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, at least one Baptist body responded as it was taking place, providing a roadmap for how Baptists today can stand up for oppressed people.
Slim Majority in US Favors Stricter Gun Laws
A slim majority (53%) of the US supports stricter gun regulations, a report found, dropping seven points from 2019 when 60% favored tighter laws. It is the first time since 2017 that the desire for stricter laws declined.
April 27, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Violence-Legitimizing Verses in Religious Texts Increase Support for Lethal Violence; NYPD Investigate 6 Attacks at 4 Synagogues Over a Two-Day Span; Dissident Episcopalians Awarded $100 Million Worth of Property as U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Take up Fort Worth Case; and more
Let’s Face the Truth: Not Every Cop is Good
Police. Brutality. Two words that should be an oxymoron but sadly aren’t. While policing is a good job, we should not assume every person who holds the position is a good person or is doing the job for all the right reasons.
Reaction & Response: Biden Most Popular Among ‘Nones’
President Biden, like President Obama, is most popular with people claiming no religious affiliation, a report said. While 71% of ‘nones’ approve of Biden’s presidency, only 26% of church-going white Protestants feel the same.
6 Ways You Can Work Toward Racial Justice
How can white people work toward racial justice right now? I both love and hate being asked this question. Whether you are new to this conversation or are curious about how to turn your anger into action, here are 6 ideas.
Breathing Room: 4 Takeaways from Chauvin Verdict
More than 1,000 people are killed by police in the US each year, but few law enforcement officers are convicted. Since Derek Chauvin’s trial began, 64 more people have been killed by police. Here are 4 takeaways from the verdict.
April 26, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Baylor Professor Gets Grant to Explore Racial Mythologies;
After Chauvin Verdict, Boston’s Twelfth Baptist Church Offers Time to Heal; Vaccine Hesitancy Raises Concerns in Arkansas; To Some It’s Just Jail House Religion, but to Others Prison Ministry is a Path to Hope; and more
Blood Quantum Dispelled by Raceless Gospel
When humans are defined by race, it immediately sets the tone for dehumanization and devaluation of diversity. That’s why practices like blood quantum, which demanded proof of existence from darker-skinned people, were wrong.
How Hoarding COVID-19 Vaccines Hurts Poor Nations
By hoarding vaccines and medical supplies and ignoring the needs of poor countries, wealthier nations like the US hinder the global efforts to get COVID-19 under control. Distribution has to focus on hot spots, not wealth and power.
Why You Need to Dispose of Unused Meds Now
Danger may lurk within your medicine cabinet. Opioid-involved deaths dramatically increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why it’s vital to get rid of your unused or expired prescriptions during Rx Drug Take Back Day.
April 23, 2021
In today’s featured news and analysis headlines: Denver’s New Hope Baptist Church Working to Help Community Heal After Verdict in Chauvin Trial; Faith-Based Outreach is Critical Tool for Moving Many Vaccine Hesitant Americans Toward Acceptance; Christian Nationalists Form New Website to Defend Their Racism; Shakespeare’s Musings on Religion are Like Curious Whispers – They Require Deep Listening to be Heard; and more.
Chauvin Guilty Verdict Lets Us Breathe Again
It’s been almost a year since George Perry Floyd breathed for the last time face down on a Minneapolis street on May 25, 2020. With April 20’s guilty verdicts, our hope for accountability concerning his death was not in vain.
After Chauvin Verdict, Will US Seriously Address Racism?
With the guilty verdict against Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd, it remains to be seen if the United States begins to seriously address the systemic problem of racism that has haunted it since its founding.
Jitsuo Morikawa: Father of Baptist Environmentalism
As we celebrate Earth Day 2021 amid a global pandemic and with a climate crisis upon us, we should look to the example of Jitsuo Morikawa, an often-neglected Japanese-American Baptist hero for wisdom and inspiration.
April 22, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: The Death of George Floyd Reignited a Movement. What Happens Next?; Black Americans are Buoyed by Chauvin Conviction, But They Worry it Will Blunt Pace of Reform; Constructive Science and Religion Dialogues at the University; and more.
Chauvin Verdict Reveals Justice Isn’t Callous, Indifferent – This Time
I was preparing for the worst – for a not guilty verdict, for my hopes to be dashed yet again. Then, I heard the word, “guilty,” and it was repeated twice more. Justice wasn’t callous and indifferent – this time.
The Lord God Made Them All
This is Fred, who took time from his busy day of foraging to pose. Or maybe it was Fred 2. Or Fred 3. It’s hard to tell one Fred from another when they’re all the same size, wear identical clothes, and live in the same trees.
How Integration Unveils God’s Relational Character
Only by limiting our own space and offering space for others, can we more fully participate in the redeeming and integrating work of the triune God, who embraces, renews and brings all creation to wholeness.
April 21, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Derek Chauvin Convicted on All Murder, Manslaughter Charges in George Floyd’s Death; An Anxious Minneapolis Awaits a Verdict as Deliberations in the Chauvin Trial Continue; Nashville Civil Rights’ Veterans See Hope for the Future; Howard University’s Removal of Classics is a Spiritual Catastrophe; The Catholic Church is Urging President Biden to Accept a Lot More Refugees; and more.
Confessing a Ministry Failure
Jesus didn’t soft-sell discipleship, so why do we? Preserving cultural dominance has overtaken the teachings of Jesus about how to live out the values of the kingdom of God. While charity is good, biblical justice demands more.
How Earth Day Aligns with Jewish Values
Earth Day is closely aligned with Jewish values, emphasizing each individual’s role and responsibility to maintain the earth for all its living creatures. Modern-day Jews must consider the community’s needs, now and in the future.
This Earth Day, a Sermon for the Birds
The trees, the flowers, the oceans, the mountains, every sand dune and towering pine – all of these things are precious to God. It is our job to be good stewards of the resources on this amazing globe on which we spin.
April 20, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Nate Cohn: Why Political Sectarianism is a Growing Threat to American Democracy; Law Professor: The Supreme Court Creates a New Religious Aristocracy; ‘I’m a Christian Woman of God.’ Texas School Board Candidate Cited After Refusing Mask; and more.
Who Killed George Floyd? | Don’t Blame Good Samaritans
The story of George Floyd’s death is tragic from every angle. A police officer’s knee on his neck, he died in police custody while pleading for his life in front of a crowd of Good Samaritans who were prevented from intervening.
Silence on Climate Change Spurs Millennials’ Migration
Millennials aren’t interested in a church that ignores the great crises of our age, such as climate change. The church’s silence has accelerated the departure of the younger generations from the institutional church.
1 Solution to Help Organ Donations Immediately
More than 107,000 Americans are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant, with a new name added to the list every nine minutes. Sadly, we still do not have enough lifesaving organs in order to prevent over 7,000 deaths a year.