Recent Articles
Let’s get a grip … on something other than guns
I confess to having been a bit surprised by the outright panic many people seem to be experiencing in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. It is a crisis: don't get me wrong. We need to take it seriously and pay attention to advice from health authorities. We need to stay...
Progress on Gender Inequality Remains Uneven, UN Says
Twenty-five years after one of the most progressive blueprints for women’s rights was passed, progress remains uneven and, in some cases, has even reversed. It’s time to push back against the pushback, a UN official said.
When You Become Part of Solution to Scarcity of World’s Water
While the US consumes over 300 billion gallons of water daily, about 800 children worldwide die due to lack of water. Access to clean water is a crisis with life-threatening consequences. You can be part of the solution.
Look Back | The Looming Storm: Taking Climate Change Seriously
The weather is changing globally. People of faith must take climate change seriously, especially since we are stewards of God’s creation. How we treat the world often offers evidence to the kind of theology we believe and practice.
March 20, 2020
North Georgia Couple Hit With Coronavirus After Attending Church (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) Coronavirus-Related Unemployment Leaves Church Employees Out in the Cold (Alabama Baptist) 8 Coronavirus Cases, Including a Minister, Linked to Queens Churches (New York...
When We Can No Longer Access Water Conveniently
We have grown accustomed to thinking that clean water provision is simply a matter of access, distribution or technology, but the reality of climate change has changed the game. More than ever, water is becoming a double-edged sword.
During Our COVID-19 Exile, Will Churches Listen to God?
As many churches cancel their services to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus, is it possible this period of forced exile from our normal routine may in reality lead to strengthening and renewing us?
All Ethical Issues Depend on How We Deal with This One
At a time when the world is on fire and the web of life is fraying, the theology and ethics of creation care make up the most important issue facing followers of Jesus and the Church of Jesus Christ.
March 19, 2020
Empty Pews Just the Beginning of Coronavirus Impact on Churches, Those They Serve (BNG) Mid-South Churches Grapple With Question of Hosting Church Services During Coronavirus (WREG) Louisiana Pastor Holds Church Service For Over 300 People, Defying Governor’s...
Judson-Rice Award Dinner among “change of plans”
By John D. Pierce Regretfully, we are cancelling the Judson-Rice Award Dinner sponsored by Nurturing Faith. The event was set for April 16 in Anderson, S.C. We will keep you posted as alternative plans develop. Once those are determined, we’ll address dinner...
Water: An Actual Element of God’s Grace and Redemption
Water is fascinating. And when you have patience to listen to the water, it speaks to you. Yet water is not only a source of an aesthetic or even a spiritual experience for nature lovers. Water brings life.
Lenten Lectionary | A Blind Man’s Journey to Believing in Jesus
Growing from a sheepish beggar to a seasoned witness, a blind man in John’s Gospel received his sight in his first encounter with Jesus, but his true perception deepened through social pressure, dramatic trials and excommunication.
Conflict, State Fragility Are Key Drivers of Extreme Poverty
Even as extreme poverty has been on the decline globally, nearly two-thirds of the world’s poor will be concentrated in economies experiencing conflict, state fragility or both by 2030, a report said.
March 18, 2020
When Americans Think About a Specific Religion, Here are Some of the First People Who Come to Mind (Pew Research) A Sunday Without Church: In Crisis, a Nation Asks, ‘What is Community?’ (New York Times) This Evangelical Megachurch in Ohio Isn’t What You Think (New...
Along with jigsaw puzzles and endless searches for toilet paper, add some Bible study
By John D. Pierce Whether alone or with the few with whom you share germs, Nurturing Faith Bible Studies by Tony Cartledge are a great place to turn in these odd and uncertain times. So we are making access to these Bible lessons and resources FREE for a limited time....
Choosing good responses
By John D. Pierce My friends Chris and Dianne Fuller, while living in Savannah years ago, experienced a flooded house. It was a mess for them and their two sons. Even effervescent Chris was feeling down when his parents, Millard and Linda, founders of Habitat of...
Church, Clergy Health Suffers When Chronic Anxiety Spikes
We live in anxious times. It’s a time that’s like a toxic martini for well-defined leaders and for congregational and clergy health. During a societal regression, free-floating anxieties are often projected upon leaders.
Religious Beliefs Cited to Discriminate Against Women, LGBTQ
Religious beliefs are being used to justify discrimination around the world, a UN report found. Women, girls and LGBTQIA+ persons are most often the focus of religiously justified discrimination.
The Objectionable Practice of Politicizing Christianity
Christianism, or politicized Christianity, expresses a troubling aspect of US religious and political life. And the move toward ‘Christian nationalism’ is one of the main ways Christianism has been apparent in recent years.
March 17, 2020
Faith Over Fear? No, It’s Political Ideology that Keeps People Unafraid of COVID-19 (Christianity Today) Christianity Has Been Handling Epidemics for 2000 Years (Foreign Policy) Campus Chaplains, Religious Clubs Advocate for Students in a Moment of Anxiety (RNS) Do...
COVID-19: While Darkness Descends, Our Songs Bring Light
Darkness descended upon the world as the COVID-19 virus reached a pandemic state. In hard-hit Italy, however, people joined their voices to sing songs of solidarity, finding community and faith. In the US, we are finding our song.
Leaning Into Lent: Walking by Faith, Not by Sight
When life is calm, it’s easy for us to think we have control over our environment. As COVID-19 spreads and the stock market dives, Lent asks us to walk by faith rather than by sight, knowing the Divine guides and leads us.
3 Ways to Relieve Your Anxiety as COVID-19 Upheaval Rages
COVID-19 has caused our anxiety to grow, but now is not the time to seek cover and hide. Without downplaying the significance of the virus or disregarding public health guidelines, here are three ways to keep your anxiety at bay.
March 16, 2020
The Christian Response to the Coronavirus: Stay Home (New York Times) Some Trump Evangelical Advisors Offer Tempered Response to Coronavirus. Falwell Laments ‘Political Motivation’ of Media Coverage (RNS) “I Worry About Being Isolated”: Few Richmond Churches Remain...
How Aristotle Bolsters Christian-Muslim Interaction – Part 2
No one has mastered Christian engagement with Islam; we must constantly work toward betterment. When we find different approaches, let’s not quickly dismiss what we think we see while entrenching ourselves in a preferred position.
White Evangelicals Outpace General Public in Trump Support
Diverging from the national average, the number of white evangelical Protestants in the US with positive views of President Trump as honest and morally upstanding remains significantly higher than the public, a report said.
March 13, 2020
Throughout History When Outbreaks Spread, Racism and Xenophobia Weren’t Far Behind (CNN) Coronavirus Ripples Turn to Waves for Faith-Based Groups (BNG) LDS Church Suspends Worship Services Worldwide (KSL) COVID-19 is a Devil Testing Organized Religion (New York...
The COVID-19 Virus and Come-to-Jesus Meeting
Canceling worship services, gatherings and conferences may seem dire in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but churches and other faith groups must face the reality of the possible consequences of ignoring warnings from scientists.
Identifying with Jesus: all year long
By John D. Pierce ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Communities, including congregations, tend to share cultural identities. When pastor of First Baptist Church in Monroe, Ga., near the college town of Athens, Glen Money said you could yell, “Go dawgs!” and “a hundred people...
Nearly 2M in US Live Within 3 Miles of High Toxic Emissions
Around 1.6 million people live within three miles of the US’s top 100 toxic emission facilities, which produce 39% of all toxic emissions in the nation, a report said. Nearly 170,000 live within a mile of these facilities.