Recent Articles
EthicsDaily, Nurturing Faith Are Now Good Faith Media
Two historic Baptist organizations – EthicsDaily.com and Nurturing Faith – with more than 60 years of history have combined to become Good Faith Media, providing reflection and resources through an inclusive Christian lens.
Goodbye and Hello: A New Day Dawns with Good Faith Media
For too long now, conservative fundamentalism has co-opted Christianity, with its focus on exclusion, conformity and placating a ruling white-class. However, a new era of Christianity is emerging. Salut, Good Faith Media!
Good Faith Media: Singing Same Tune but Adding More Voices
As Nurturing Faith joins with EthicsDaily.com to form Good Faith Media today, we’ll be singing the same song but we’re adding more verses and voices. While we’ll stay close to the familiar, we’ll be venturing out into the new.
The last blog
While this is my last Nurturing Faith blog, don’t get your hopes up. I’m not finished writing. Starting tomorrow, however, my opinion writing will move to the Good Faith Media web site — as we officially launch this new, expanded organization.
Possumbilities
An encounter with a possum offered a time to reflect on ‘possumbilities’ as Nurturing Faith combines with EthicsDaily.com to become Good Faith Media. You’re invited to join the party.
Good Faith Media Willing to Ask Uncomfortable Questions
As EthicsDaily and Nurturing Faith become Good Faith Media, we will continue asking lots of questions. These questions will make more people feel more uncomfortable. May our love help us cast out our fear of asking questions.
Baptist Center for Ethics / EthicsDaily Embarks on ‘New Wrinkle’
You could see it as an ending. I prefer to see it as a new beginning. Or, to quote Baptist Center for Ethics / EthicsDaily.com founder Robert Parham (1953-2017), it is a “new wrinkle.” That’s what I think best describes the launch of Good Faith Media, formed by the...
Baptist Center for Ethics / EthicsDaily.com: A Brief History
Robert Parham launched Baptist Center for Ethics in 1991 as an alternative ethical voice to the SBC conservative movement. Tomorrow, EthicsDaily.com combines with Nurturing Faith Publishing to become Good Faith Media, which will continue to be an inclusive voice for the common good.
Church’s Struggle with Racism Traces Back to First Century
Just as the spirit-filled community was not immune to ethnic tensions in the first century, today’s church is not immune to racial injustices permeating our society. To deal with racism, it will be more than a one-and-done deal.
State Department: Around 25 Million Remain Enslaved Globally
While government laws to address human trafficking have been enacted and public and faith community engagement in anti-trafficking initiatives has increased over the past 20 years, 25 million still remain enslaved globally.
If You Need a Spiritual Director, the Earth Has an Opening
Do you have a spiritual director? If you don’t, your spiritual director is as close as the Earth. Listen more carefully to what God says to you through creation. In doing so, your heart can be more open to the wonder of God.
June 30, 2020
SCOTUS ruling on a Louisiana abortion law, Christians disagreeing over policing, Mississippi considering a new flag, and the ELCA publishing a handbook on human sexuality, are among the headlines in today’s editor’s picks.
June 29, 2020
A trans Christian minister waits to see what comes next after coming out in a Sunday sermon, an SBC seminary is asked to remove names of slaveholders, Baylor University acknowledges ties to slavery, and more.
Remembering Why the Bible Has Problem with Statues
As we debate the place of statues in public spaces, it’s good to remember the Bible’s consistent caution when it comes to graven images, or, in this case, statues. The Bible urges us to be very careful about how we enshrine ourselves.
Artists Converge in Tulsa to Paint ‘Black Lives Matter’ Message
A group of young artists gathered early one morning in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to paint Black Lives Matter in large, yellow letters in the heart of Black Wall Street. They are part of a larger movement to uproot the bigotry infecting us all.
Those Who Oppress Weak Will Face Their Own Reckoning
The Old Testament screams out what we face in this present day. Some don’t care about the weak or those begging for breath. They oppress the poor and extort the immigrant. But be warned; they will be left to their own grievous destiny.
June 26, 2020
CBF Assembly opens with call for racial justice, a DC church sits at the center of controversy, an exploration of Bob Dylan’s religious views and the militarization of the Bible in Israel are among today’s curated headlines.
Silence is More Than Violence, White Christians; It’s Sinful
While white Christians have been among the protesters over police brutality, many others have remained silent. Why? Because some white Christians would prefer the status quo rather than become a proponent for change.
Light for the Church through Converted Listening
The local church’s practice of theology needs the illumination that God’s Spirit offers through the whole body of Christ because this is a practice of a church on pilgrimage toward a place that we cannot yet see.
When Your Autonomy Takes Back Seat to Our Nation’s Rights
We are a nation with a profound belief in individual autonomy. However, autonomy takes a back seat when our nation’s collective health is at risk. When we exercise any right, we must minimize the harm that might come to others.
June 25, 2020
Among today’s headlines are articles on removing white Jesus statues, racial inequality in the U.S., Trump’s diminishing support among white evangelicals, and Liberty University facing a racial reckoning.
Enough Conversations; Let’s Do Something about Racism
The pandemic and the protests over police brutality have stirred up reflection about the ramifications of racism. While some have urged more talks, it’s time white people stop talking about racism and start doing something.
Why Baptist Theological Education, Faith Have Bright Future
Two gifts are emerging in a North American church scene in which every major denomination is waning. We have a renewed desire to evaluate our roots and a renewed interest in looking up from our trenches and finding friends nearby.
Race, Religion Key Indicators of US Political Affiliation
More than three-fourths, or 78%, of white US evangelicals remain strong supportive of the Republican Party, while 84% of black Protestants either identify as Democrats or lean Democratic, a Pew Research Center report says.
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.