Recent Articles
June 24, 2020
Rayshard Brooks’ funeral, sustained Trump support by white Evangelicals and Catholics, a call to Juneteenth to become a national holiday, and hesitancy to return to in-person religious services are among today’s curated headlines.
Nonsense passed from one generation to another doesn’t always stick, thank God!
By John D. Pierce A recent news report on how adults leaving the Trump rally in Tulsa explained racial justice protests to their children and grandchildren was a bit alarming — though what would be expected from those coming out of such a gathering. Conflating...
Soft Repentance, Shallow Reconciliation Present Clear Dangers
As we seek a way forward in the call for justice in the wake of the death of George Floyd, we must beware soft repentance and shallow reconciliation. They’re easier and involve less risk. They also perpetuate the problem.
Your Words Have Power in Everyday Life to Explode or to Heal
Our words have the power to calm an explosive situation so reason can take hold. Yet many of us live with negative words, either receiving or delivering them. We must take control of what we say and build people up with our words.
Reaction and Response | White US Christians Less Likely to Acknowledge Racial Justice Struggle
White practicing US Christians are less likely to say the nation is struggling with racial justice, a Barna Group report found. Several faith leaders say the survey results reveal the ‘moral blindness of white people.’
June 23, 2020
Calls increase to remove Confederate monuments, churches among bars and strip clubs as source of virus spread, white Evangelical support of Trump wanes as George Floyd protests continue, and how an SBC seminary president came to support Trump.
La decisión del Tribunal Supremo es un aplazamiento temporal para los beneficiarios de DACA
La decisión de la Corte Suprema 5-4 que protege a los beneficiarios de DACA de la deportación es tan solo una solución temporal, la cual puede ser anulada por la administración Trump mediante otros mecanismos. ¿Como cristianos, tomaremos nosotros medidas para buscar una solución permanente?
High Court Decision is Temporary Reprieve for DACA Recipients
The Supreme Court 5-4 decision protecting DACA recipients from deportation is a temporary solution the Trump administration can override by other means. Will we, as Christians, take action to seek a permanent solution?
Reaction and Response | SCOTUS Rules DACA Rescission Improper
In a 5-4 ruling, SCOTUS ruled the Trump administration’s plan to end the DACA program was improper. That news left faith leaders who have worked with Dreamers cautiously optimistic while urging for a permanent solution.
7 Things About Which Your Church Should Be More Curious
Curiosity is a key ingredient in wisdom and foresight, yet many churches lack curiosity. Too often, leaders are over-confident and disinterested in new information. Here are seven things about which churches should be more curious.
June 22, 2020
Today’s curated headlines focus on racial justice, the ‘spiritual danger’ of Donald Trump, the president’s loosening grip on white America and food scarcity on the rise.
A day to remember
Some days you never forget: sometimes for good reasons, sometimes not so good. This is about one of the happy ones, and fortunately, it keeps turning up. In 2015, my wife Susan and I volunteered to spend three weeks digging with the Fourth Expedition to Lachish,...
Though cruelty is still in, some evangelicals now sensing it’s not the best way to be Christian
By John D. Pierce Cruelty is all the rage for those who march to the rhetorical and twittered drumbeat of their beloved president. They revel in his constant demeaning of people groups — other than white men. The Supreme Court let him down and he feels picked on once...
Coronavirus Doesn’t Stop Churches from Helping Refugees
The COVID-19 outbreak is a crisis in a crisis in Lebanon, happening in the middle of an economic and financial crisis, which already caused many to lose their jobs and income. Yet churches are doing their part to help refugees.
Juneteenth Celebrates Freedom from Slavery, Respects Cultures
On June 19, 1866, Texas freed-persons celebrated the anniversary of the announcement of their freedom – the first Juneteenth holiday. Today, Americans of all ethnicities celebrate the holiday, fostering respect for all cultures.
Faith Voices in UN Spaces | Executive Order that Advances International Religious Freedom
President Trump signed an executive order that will provide both a carrot and a stick to encourage countries to better embrace the freedom of all people to worship who, when and where they want or to choose no religion at all.
June 19, 2020
An Oregon church spreads virus, Chick-fil-A CEO calls for repentance of racism, and a bank and church apologize for historic slavery ties are among the editor’s pick headlines featured today.
June 18, 2020
Today’s curated headlines feature a behind-the-scenes glimpse into what evangelicals about privately about Trump, what U.S. pastors are saying following George Floyd’s death, and an apology from a pastor who called slavery a ‘white blessing.’
Lessons Learned Growing Up in Palestinian Refugee Camp
Growing up in a Palestinian refugee camp, I could identify the sound of incoming versus outgoing missiles. I wished those missiles would hit our enemies. However, my mother taught me we’re all brothers and sisters in humanity.
The Role Your Church Can Play in Ongoing ‘War’ with COVID-19
The public has made sacrifices during times of crises throughout US history. Yet in today’s pandemic, others believe individual freedom trumps efforts to enact collective public safety. What role can Christian churches play?
The Prophetic Echoes of Juneteenth
Imagine learning for two-and-a-half years US law said you were free but a white culture unwilling to relinquish control over you held you captive. Freedom can only truly be freedom when justice and equality for all can be achieved.
Why Black Anger Grows Daily Over White Moderates, Evangelicals
I am outraged about the willful blindness of white moderates, progressives and evangelicals concerning systemic violence perpetrated against black people in the US under the guise of law enforcement. I cannot be calm and patient.
Making Black Lives Matter in Theological, Seminary Training
If the books from my seminary training days were people in my living room, I would be joined by dozens of white men and two nonwhites. It would be an overwhelmingly homogeneous group. Do black lives matter in theological education?
Putting Human Faces to Immigrants’ Stories on US-Mexico Border
A pre-pandemic visit to immigrant shelters on the US-Mexico border puts flesh and blood on the agony and hope embodied in immigrants seeking US asylum. They’re more than numbers; they’re real people. Here are some of their stories.
June 17, 2020
Race relations in the U.S., the polling impact of Trump’s St. Johns Church photo op, an evangelical pastor calling slavery a ‘white blessing,’ and the SBC elected a Black pastor to a powerful position are among today’s curated headlines.
High priests?
We've heard of "high church" worship, the kind of liturgy that includes robes and processions and formal hymns with no one directing the music, maybe even the occasional scent of incense. In a surprise finding, archaeologists have learned that some ancient Hebrews had...
“What Were You Thinking?” Realities and Responses to Systemic Racism in America
Some white people learned about unarmed nonviolent African Americans killed by police, but still don’t get ‘Black Lives Matter.’ How can such insensitivity exist to the oppression faced by African Americans? What were they thinking?
Myanmar Army Seeks to Purge Muslim Minority from its Nation
The Rohingya, a Muslim minority in the Rakhine State in Myanmar, are an unrecognized minority in their own nation. Their lives are at risk as the military seeks to purge the nation of their unwanted presence.
Charlottesville Clergy Lament Diseases of COVID-19, Racism
A clergy group in Charlottesville, Virginia, livestreamed a worship service to mourn the deaths of those lost to COVID-19 and racism. Here is an excerpt of that service.
June 16, 2020
Today’s featured headlines include a look at race relations in the U.S., LGBTQ+ rights and SCOTUS’ ruling, COVID-19 outbreaks in local churches, and religion as a ‘flexible concept’ in Japan.