Recent Articles
January 29, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis: ‘The Capitol Insurrection Was as Christian Nationalist as it Gets’; Christianity on Display at Capitol Riot Sparks New Dialogue; Study Reveals Half of Pastors Say They’re Hearing Conspiracy Theories in Their Churches;
Idaho Church Featured in Sundance Film About Reconciliation After School Shooting; and more
People of Good Faith: Jessica McDougald
Jessica McDougald is a third-year master of divinity student at Campbell University Divinity School and youth minister at Millbrook Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is currently serving as an Ernest C. Hynds intern at Good Faith Media.
Pandemic Strengthened U.S. Faith More than Other Nations
U.S. adults were more likely than citizens of 13 other advanced economies to say that their religious faith, and that of the nation as a whole, has been strengthened during the global pandemic, a report found.
Look Back | When the ’60s Were Bad
Perspectives change as people age. Many who once lamented societal changes in the 60s, now look back fondly on this era. The changing present and unknown future often alarm these folks.
How COVID-19 Reshaped My Faith
I have a personal confession. The world has undergone significant changes, and so have I, since the first COVID-19 cases were reported in the US a year ago. So I’ll enter the confessional and explain how COVID-19 reshaped my faith.
Climate Change Mitigation Vital to End Global Hunger
Climate change is threatening three decades of progress to curb global hunger, a report said, with as many as 100 million people entering into extreme poverty due to climate impacts unless we enact sufficient mitigation efforts.
Your Recipe for Gladness – Even When You Don’t Feel Like It
Political division. COVID-19. The economy. There’s not much to make you glad when you turn on the news. Yet during these long days of restriction and loss, you must look for reasons to be glad – even if you don’t feel like it.
January 28, 2021
In today’s curated new and analysis headlines: Rioters Followed a Long Conspiratorial Road to the Capitol; Homeland Security Bulletin Warns Americans About Violence by Grievance-Fueled Domestic Extremists; SBC Pastor Calls Vice President Kamala Harris a ‘Jezebel’ Two Days After Inauguration; In Korea Outbreaks in Christian Schools Drives Surge in COVID-19 Cases; and more
In Praise of the Pig
A research article posted in a recent issue of Science Advances reports that the oldest known example of representational art has been identified on the wall of a cave in Sulawesi, Indonesia – and it’s the portrait of a pig.
The Growing Moral Context of the Impeachment Trial
The impeachment process is no longer only a trial on an article of impeachment of a former president, based on certain deeds and consequences. It is now an impending referendum on our national character as a constitutional republic.
Reaction and Response: US Blacks’ Sense of Political Powerlessness Increases
Blacks in the US feel more politically powerless now than they did two decades ago, a report found. Several Black faith leaders, however, questioned the survey’s conclusion that Blacks actually feel more politically powerless.
January 27, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Episcopal Executive Council Eyes Plans for Pandemic Aid to Dioceses, Commits Church to ‘Deradicalization’; Where Were They Radicalized? No Answer is Complete Without Addressing Evangelical Churches and Schooling; Individuals Taking Sanctuary at Local Churches to Call on Biden to Free Them; The Long Road to Sorting Out US Refugee Settlement; and more
Ignorance is Detriment to Faithfulness
Teaching the relationship between Christian faithfulness and the embrace of understanding, wisdom, knowledge and discernment is a needed priority in our homes, churches and other organizations charged with spiritual formation.
Films Unite Students Around Common Values
At each semester’s end, my high school students view one of two Denzel Washington films, ‘Glory’ and ‘Remember the Titans.’ It inspires me to see students of different political persuasions and ethnicities unite against injustice.
White US Protestants Least Likely to Link Violent Language, Acts
White Protestants are the least likely religious group to affirm a link between violent rhetoric and violent actions, a report found. Only 39% of white evangelicals affirmed a strong link between violent rhetoric and actions.
January 26, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: Boston Can Reject Religious Flag at City Hall; Trump Fueled Conservative Christian Power. But with Biden, That Can Change; Biden Attends Mass at DC Church Where He Worshipped as VP; As Covid Patients are Denied Visits from Their Families, These Hospital Chaplains Provide Vital Comfort; and more
Poem Invites Us to Repair Unjust Past
Amanda Gorman’s poem, ‘The Hill We Climb,’ is both heartbreaking and hopeful, courageously inviting her listeners to step into the harm that has dominated the history of this country so that we can build a future together.
6 Steps to Help Pastors Caught Up in Right-Wing Lies
How can we help pastors and churches who have been drawn toward the destructive influence of Trumpism, Christian nationalism, conspiracy theories and the diminished value of truth? These 6 suggestions may help.
Affirmation of Marriage Importance Continues to Drop
The number of US adults who affirm marriage as very important continues to decline, a report found. For example, 31% said it is very important for couples to marry when they have children together, down from 49% in 2006.
January 25, 2021
In today’s curated news and headlines analysis: In Biden’s Catholic Faith, an Ascendant Liberal Christianity; Reflections on the Biden Inauguration from the Evangelical Environmental Network; Capitol Attack Will Spur Broad Crackdown on Domestic Extremists; Prominent Black Pastor From Texas Ponders Exit from Southern Baptists; and more
People of Good Faith: Jack Glasgow
Jack Glasgow is the pastor of Zebulon Baptist Church in Zebulon, North Carolina, a church he has served for 43 years. He is married to Barbara, and they have a son and daughter, both educators married to educators.
Reaction and Response | Fewer Protestants Want Sermons on Race
Fewer US Protestants seem interested in sermons about racial reconciliation, a report found. Asked if their churches would welcome a sermon on the topic, 74% of pastors somewhat or strongly agreed, down from 90% four years ago.
Look Back | Gospel’s Minor Characters Play Major Roles
The Gospels include stories of characters who appear so briefly, some aren’t even named. Yet, these minor characters serve as major models who often express the ideals of what it means to follow Jesus. One of them is an unnamed widow.
January 22, 2021
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: A Sermon in America’s Civic Religion; Biden’s Unity Plea Met with Ample Reminders that America’s Divisions Run Deep;
Biden’s Halting of Deportations Allows Raleigh Man to Leave Sanctuary at Durham Church After Three Years; Technology as Religion: ‘We Sell Our Souls With Faith in Data’; and more
The Triumph of Democracy: The Tale of Two Weeks
Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate, challenged all of us to ‘be’ the light our nation needs. Let each of us ‘be’ the light, shining it brightly for the common good of all people, especially those at the margins of society.
Death Sentences at All-Time Low; Fewest Executions in Decades
Death sentences and executions reached ‘historically’ low numbers for 2020, a report said, despite President Trump’s reversal of a 17-year hiatus on federal executions. Eighteen death sentences and 17 executions had taken place.
Secular, Sacred Aren’t Polar Opposites
Left unchecked, religions tend to coopt the sacred and ignore real-world problems. Secularism critiques religion in light of the categories of the secular, including science and philosophy. The secular and sacred aren’t opposites.
Why Can’t Some Christians Handle the Truth?
Many Christians share and believe conspiracy theories, label legitimate news sources as fake and deny scientific facts about climate change. Why do they maintain these views? A desire for power and control.
We Don’t Do Kings
As Donald Trump basks in a self-designed and elaborate military send-off from Washington and Joe Biden takes the solemn oath of office as our 46th president, it’s a reminder that in America, we don’t do kings.
Avoiding Breaches in Wall of Church-State Separation
Raphael Warnock will serve in the US Senate while continuing as senior pastor of his Georgia church. Is this a breach in the wall of the separation of church and state? On the surface, it might seem so. But let’s look closer.