Recent Articles
Why I’m Giving Up the Hustle for Lent
Our culture demands that we constantly do more, produce more, engage more, be more. It’s a hustle economy that will run us ragged if we let it. This year for Lent, I’m saying every day, “I’m enough.”
The Insurrection, the Big Lie and the Constitution: Part Two
The “Big Lie” – another manifestation of white supremacy – emerged again during 2020. False claims of widespread voter fraud continue to be spread in order to legitimatize efforts to disenfranchise people of color.
People of Faith Must Engage Mental Health Crisis
The link between public health crises and mental health has been known for decades, but the full impact of COVID-19 on the nation is still unknown. People of faith need to step up and reach out to those who are hurting.
February 25, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Evangelical Leaders Condemn ‘Radicalized Christian Nationalism’; How the Council for National Policy, an Evangelical and Republican Powerhouse, Helped Spawned Trumpism and the Capitol Insurrection; Bill to Regulate Missouri Religious Boarding Schools Advance; and more
Smarter and Nicer – This Is Your Brain on Books
A 1980s PSA presented an egg frying in a pan as an illustration of “your brain on drugs.” Recent studies have found that reading can make you both smarter and nicer. This is “your brain on books.”
Why You Should Enter the Shadow of Lent
Lent is a guardrail against spiritual bypassing, requiring pilgrims to do the hard, but necessary, work of entering into aspects of the human experience we’d rather not endure. These rhythms keep us pain-avoidant human beings honest.
The Insurrection, the Big Lie and the Constitution: Part One
The January 6 insurrection was horrific and disturbing. We now face more furtive efforts to undermine U.S. democracy, with some elected officials seeking to restrict voting rights under the false pretense of “election security.”
Millions Suffered Polar Vortex Impacts, Particularly the Unhoused
The polar vortex brought unprecedented weather events and challenging times for everyone, particularly for the unhoused. That hundreds of thousands are homeless in a wealthy nation like the U.S. is a tragedy and travesty.
February 24, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Life Amid the Ruin of QAnon: “I Wanted My Family Back”; Debate Rages Over Whether Race Had Role in Police Response to Capitol Riot; 160 Confederate Symbols Toppled in 2020, Hundreds Remain; Fort Worth Loses Fight for Church Properties as US Supreme Court Declines to Hear Diocese’s Case; and more
Meet-and-Greet with a Convenient Savior
Adored in song and sermon, his teachings are often ignored by the most fervent singers and sermonizers. Step right up and meet the popular, conveniently contrived Christ of Americanized Christianity.
Stephen Reeves to Lead Fellowship Southwest
Native Texan Stephen Reeves will become the executive director of Fellowship Southwest in mid-March. He comes to the organization from CBF global, where he served as associate coordinator for advocacy and partnerships.
Systemic Racism, Caste and the Global Pandemic: Part Two
What does the caste system of systemic racism have to do with the global pandemic? Such systems create disparities in the health status of individuals that is the result of unequal treatment based on caste.
February 23, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: America’s Churches are Now Polarized, Too; A Civil Rights Lawyer-Turned-Rabbi Cites Jewish Law in Montana State Legislature; Display of 15,000 Flags at Atlanta-Area Church Memorializes Covid Victims; Christians, Muslims and Jews to Share Faith Centre in Berlin; and more.
Systemic Racism, Caste and the Global Pandemic: Part One
Isabel Wilkerson’s book Caste describes systemic racism as a caste system. This choice of language fits well with my experience, and her argument is compelling that the impact of caste remains in play today.
Name-Calling Derives from Lack of Love, Truth and Justice
Two Baptist pastors used the term “Jezebel” in reference to Vice President Kamala Harris. Such name-calling has a long, tragic history in the U.S. that is deployed when the speaker doesn’t have love, truth or justice on their side.
Our Words Hold the Power to Bring Life or Death
Words have power – to build up or to tear down, to bring life or destruction. The Jan. 6 insurrection reveals the true potency of our speech. Let’s use them wisely.
February 22, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Disinformation Fuels a White Evangelical Movement. It Led 1 Virginia Pastor to Quit; His Pastors Tried to Steer Him Away From Social Media Rage. He Stormed the Capitol Anyway; How 90s Christian Radio Enabled Rush Limbaugh’s Toxic Views; In Pandemic, Clergy Risk Illness, Even Death to Minister to the Sick and Their Loved Ones; As 2 New York Churches Merger, Working Class Congregation Praises Gay, Young Pastor; and more.
People of Good Faith: Cynthia Holmes
Cynthia Holmes is an attorney in St. Louis, Missouri. She is an active leader in several faith-based organizations, including Good Faith Media where she serves on the governing board.
Walter Rauschenbusch’s Concern for Justice
Conscience and compassion drove Rauschenbusch’s passion for justice. Advocating for distributive justice, he sought to create a social order that placed the common good of all above the economic profits of a few.
Springsteen Jeep Ad Echoes Themes He’s Sung about for Decades
The central message in Bruce Springsteen’s Jeep ad reiterates themes he’s been singing about for decades. It calls us to have faith that the ties that bind us, for all our faults, fears and shortcomings, are ultimately stronger than the walls others build to divide us.
February 19, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Ohio Mother Living in Sanctuary at Church to Go Home After Three Years; Gen Z is Deconstructing Religion and Finding Faith; Faith in Numbers: Behind the Gender Difference of non-Religious Americans; Former Trump Cabinet Member Launches Christian Nationalist Think Tank; Attacks on Ancient Religious Sites in Ethiopia Kill Hundreds; and more
Do God’s Promises Extend to Savlanut, Sarah and Tseba?
Ever heard of Savlanut, Sarah and Tseba? Though not identified in the Bible, these could have been the names of the wives of Noah’s sons. They needed to know, just like women today, that God’s promises are for them.
The Cold Reality of Climate Change
Temperatures plummeted across the U.S. this week when a polar vortex swept across the nation, leaving millions without power. We must act now to address climate change, which is causing both extreme warm and cold weather patterns.
The Azan Is a Call to Both Prayer and Justice
Social justice is provocative and alarming, shocking the world into a better place. It is at the very heart of The Prophet Muhammad’s message and is a central part of the Islamic creed.
February 18, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: The Black Church is Having a Moment; At a Baptist College in Virginia, a Disagreement Over Athletes Kneeling During National Anthem; Health Policy Expert: They Say They are Attacking Abortion. They are Really Hurting the Poor.; Right-wing Justices Think Religion is Under Siege. Will the Full Supreme Court Follow?; and more.
Sneaking Off to Mass and Returning with a Face Tattoo
A boy in my mom’s preschool told his parents about her “face tattoo” after she returned from Ash Wednesday Mass. What if our ashen crosses really were tattoos? What would they say about us?
Would Jesus Wear a Seat Belt?
While the Bible says remarkably little about wearing seat belts or speeding, it has a lot to say about caring for others and working for the common good. Let’s ensure our daily actions exhibit conscious caring.
Holiness Code Envisions Communal Justice
The Holiness Code is not simply about how one person can live a holy life, but how a community can become holy. As Jews, we are taught that we should not be satisfied with the world as it is but strive for a world as it ought to be.
February 17, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Ash Wednesday Rituals Tweaked for Coronavirus as Christians are Reminded of Death; On Social Media, Vaccine Misinformation Mixes with Extreme Faith; Republican Lawmaker Shunned by His Family for Going Against God by Voting to Impeach Trump; Orthodox Church in Black Sea Region Plundered by Treasure Hunters; and more
Christian Justice: Between Civic Religion and Christian Nationalism
In working for a just social order, Christians must avoid capitulation to civic religion on one side, and Christian nationalism on the other. The Christian desire for justice turns to a different path: local commitment and sacrifice.