Recent Articles
Look Back | 4 Truths Support Gender Equality in Bible
Fundamentalists used the subordination of women as a litmus test for loyalty, using the same logic as their ancestors who used Scripture to justify slavery. However, you can champion gender equality and be faithful to Scripture.
January 24, 2020
Evangelicals Love Trump for Many Reasons, But One of Them is Especially Terrifying (Mother Jones) Here’s How Trump Will Corrupt the Evangelical Movement and Make It Lose its Soul: Former Christian Post Editor (AlterNet) Pope Francis Replaces Conservative Archbishop of...
Finding Freedom in the Fence and Love in the Limits
By: Ginger Hughes “Move back guys…a car is coming!” I hollered from my perch on the front steps. The kids were outside playing in the front yard, and they’d ventured out closer to the road, past our fence, to look at something incredible…a special rock, an...
Christians’ Healing Response Can Help Close Middle East Wounds
In an area of the world in deep need of healing, the assassination of Qasem Soleimani reopened the festering wounds of victimhood. Christians must embrace Christ as wounded healer to find a source of healing for societies around us.
More Seminary Grads Plan to Enter Bivocational Ministry
One third of all seminary graduates in 2017 were planning to enter bivocational ministry. The news offers hope to thousands of smaller churches who struggle to find seminary-trained leadership to serve their churches.
High Levels of Christian Persecution Increased 6% in 2019
Christians experiencing high levels of persecution rose 6% in 2019 to 260 million persons, a report said. The nations where Christians face the highest persecution are North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya and Pakistan.
January 23, 2020
A Church Made Headlines for Allegedly Asking Older Members to Leave. But the Reality is More Complicated (CNN) The Temple, Ebenezer Baptist Unite for MLK Day (Atlanta Jewish Times) MLK, Nannie Helen Burroughs and ‘God’s School on the Hill’ (Washington Examiner) Why...
Reducing Mental Health Stigma in Your Church Workplace
Opening up about mental health issues at work, including churches, is often difficult to do. It requires disclosure and vulnerability. Achieving an open environment in your church workspace may be possible, but it might take time.
When Will Churches Extend the Welcome Mat for All? – Part 2
If churches are serious about really welcoming, really including, they will have to find a way to communicate a welcome that reaches out to “others” who have learned long ago they are not welcome.
Pope: Center Public Policy on Humanity, Not Power and Profits
Public policy should place humans, not power and profits, at the center of its considerations. That was Pope Francis’ message to participants at this year’s World Economic Forum.
January 22, 2020
‘King-Lee Day’ and Other Ways States Bend MLK’s Legacy (Vox) Martin Luther King Jr.’s Son Responds to Trump’ MLK Day Tweet: ‘Every Day … in Communities of Color, Someone is Being Killed’ (Newsweek) This Coat Design Isn’t Just Saving Lives. It’s Launching New Careers...
When Will Churches Extend the Welcome Mat for All? – Part 1
Diversity and inclusion built strength and resilience in the early church, threatening political and social powers. Today, the church is increasingly known for accepting some and rejecting others. It’s not what we’re called to be.
Long Journey Ahead to Overcome Poverty of Segregation
Rather than a day of victory, we should see Martin Luther King Jr. Day as an encouraging landmark on the continuing road to justice in our nation. We still live in a segregated society. Our journey to wholeness is far from over.
41% of Pastors: Evangelism Will Hasten Christ’s Return
Protestant pastors in the U.S. are more likely to connect evangelistic efforts, rather than involvement in geo-politics, with hastening the return of Christ, a LifeWay report found.
January 21, 2020
How a Heritage of Black Preaching Shaped MLK’s Voice in Calling for Justice (Raw Story) Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy, Commitment to Service Honored Around Chicagoland (WGTN) First African Baptist Church Brunswick, Georgia Celebrates History (Brunswick News) Major...
January 20, 2019
Constitutional Showdown: Montana School Choice Case Heads to U.S. Supreme Court (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) A Christian Nationalist Group is Quietly Shaping Bills for State Legislators (Truth Out) Biden Tells Black Baptist Leaders: Trump is Fanning the Flames of Hate...
Worth remembering
“Almost always, the creative, dedicated minority has made the world better.” Martin Luther King Jr.
How the Long Arc of Moral Universe Bends Toward Justice
He wasn’t the first to say it, but Martin Luther King popularized the phrase that “the arc of the moral universe … bends toward justice.” For justice to prevail, people who hope for justice must become and be advocates for it.
‘Just Mercy’
Based on the true story of a Harvard law graduate defending a death row inmate condemned for a murder he didn’t commit, ‘Just Mercy’ is a must-see film for everyone concerned about faith and justice.
Few Christians Feel Responsible for Helping Discriminated People
Given six possible choices, more than one out of five practicing Christians in the US feel a personal responsibility to help others facing discrimination, a Barna report said.
Look Back | The Parts of King’s Dream Our Nation Ignores
The US has made Martin Luther King Jr. a national icon by sanitizing his legacy and by erasing from its memory his importance as a prophetic voice. Elements of his legacy have been either conveniently or deliberately forgotten.
January 17, 2020
Why the Split in the Methodist Church Should Set Off Alarm Bells for Americans (Washington Post) Multiracial Ohio Church Turns Conversations on Race into Political Action (RNS) International Bonhoeffer Society Calls for ‘Ending Donald’s Presidency’ (Sojourners) Trump...
Christianity at a Crossroads: Is Another Schism Inevitable?
Unable to find common ground on LGBTQ ordination and the church’s response to same-sex marriage, the United Methodist Church is expected to split. The split might be revealing a larger division emerging within Christianity.
Redeeming the Systems That Make Equality for All Unreachable
Martin Luther King Jr. saw the movement he led as a call to redeem the systems and structures that created and sustained the evil and hatred that kept America from accessing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people.
Dream On: Never Abandon Hope for a Different Reality
Martin Luther King Jr. challenged us with his dream. While some seek to distort that dream, King envisioned a dream that was available even when our backs are against the wall. Go forward with courage to bring that dream to reality.
January 16, 2019
The Age of Nones May Favor Churches That Welcome Doubters (RNS) Virginia Governor Declares State of Emergency Ahead of Gun Rights Rally (NPR) Where Christian Evangelicals Worship Trump More Than Jesus – Key Voters Stay Loyal to the President (The Guardian) Christian...
Celebrating Black Lives Matter on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King Jr. was able to succeed thanks to the assistance of others. Today, as we seek equality for all, groups like Black Lives Matter play an important role. Multiple approaches are often needed to achieve the same goals.
Seeds of Hope: How Millennials Can Unite to Transform Culture
If protesters and dissidents, many of them millennials, can surpass single-issue politics to embrace a broader vision of social and cultural transformation, they may provide the seeds of hope for a new decade. It’s a big “if.”
Garment, Footwear Supply Chains Becoming More Transparent
A growing number of garment and footwear manufacturers are disclosing details about their supply chains. Since 2016, the number of companies publishing info online about their top-tier factories has tripled, a report says.
January 15, 2020
Birmingham Episcopalian Church Buys and Forgives Millions of Dollars of Medical Debt (Yellowhammer News) 11,000 Christians Protest Franklin Graham’s Florida Trip, Say it Doesn’t Speak for Their Faith in Petition (Newsweek) Trump Condemned for Retweeting Fake...