Recent Articles
Decades Later, Why is Martin Luther King’s Dream Still a Dream?
We applaud Martin Luther King Jr.’s cause now, but that wasn’t always the case. His home was bombed, he was bullied by strangers and hounded by the FBI. And today the US still remains geographically and socially segregated.
How Do I Love Numbers? Let Me Count the Ways
Human societies have a long and complicated relationship with numbers. We like to count things and then assign significance to the totals and the way we can divvy them up. But sometimes a number is just a number.
World Facing ‘Double Burden’ Regarding Malnutrition
Malnutrition presents a ‘double burden’ as nations struggle to address both undernourishment and obesity at the same time, a report said. Up to one-third of lower- and middle-income nations struggle with this dual burden.
January 14, 2020
Historically Black Churches Embrace Others to Stay Alive for Elders (OZY) The Majority of Women Feel Relief, Not Regret, After an Abortion, Study Says (CNN) At Least 1,000 Anti-Abortion Marchers Rally in Chicago (Chicago Tribune) Episcopal Church, Affiliates Press...
Shepherd Your ‘Little Church’ as Thermostat to Alter Society
As Martin Luther King Day nears, we need a new generation of radically Christian and socially subversive parents who will lead their families faithfully and unabashedly, eager to be thermostats who will transform society.
Your Church Must Learn to Swim in Today’s Religious Currents
Fewer U.S. adults identify as Christian while those who claim no religious affiliation are increasing. It’s time for churches to learn to swim in the reality of today’s religious currents. Here are 4 ways to stay afloat.
Capital Punishment Sentences, Executions Decline in 2019
The number of executions and new capital punishment sentences approached all-time lows in 2019, a report said. The 22 people executed in 2019 are 76 less than the all-time high of 98 in 1999.
January 13, 2020
Possible United Methodist Split Poses Tough Conversations in Southern Illinois Churches (The Southern Illinoisian) Birmingham Church Bombing Survivor Shares Her MLK Story (NBC Chicago) An Open Letter from Black Church Leaders and Allies to Christianity Today (RNS)...
A production that is not our own
By John D. Pierce Not everyone is a morning person. And I’ve not always been one. Now, however, it is my favorite time of the day — especially when in a natural setting. Even when not, I try each day to look up from my computer and gaze out the front windows at the...
‘The Two Popes’
Much of ‘The Two Popes’ on Netflix consists of Pope Benedict XVI and pope-to-be Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio talking to each other. Neither one is portrayed as stick figures or cartoonish figures. They come across as real people.
Digital Manipulation: Sleight of Hand, Sleight of Mind – Part 2
While malevolent actors still manipulate photos and videos to divert us from the truth through sleight of hand and sleight of mind, it is possible to stay centered even in a time of moral casuistry and capriciousness.
Look Back | The Lord’s Prayer: Praying for the Kingdom
The Lord’s Prayer asks that God’s kingdom would come, as God’s will is done on earth as it is done in heaven. If God is to reign on earth as in heaven, we cannot separate the spiritual and the social.
Itching for a Brawl: 7 Facts You Don’t Know About US-Iran Tension
You may believe you know all you need to know about the tensions between the US and Iran, but it may not be as clear-cut as you think. To interpret the latest round of US-Iran tension, here is some history you need to know.
Becoming Peacemakers in Our Tit-For-Tat Violent World
President Trump ordered the killing of one of Iran’s top military commanders. Iran, in turn, fired missiles hitting military bases housing US troops. Tit-for-tat acts of violence may be the way of war; it is not the way of Jesus.
Digital Manipulation: Sleight of Hand, Sleight of Mind – Part 1
In every benevolent use of a new discovery, humans always have a proclivity to find a way to use it malevolently. False information and the spreading of propaganda through photo and video manipulation have become very easy.
January 9, 2020
At One Church, Combating Neighborhood Violence Requires Prayer and Footwork (Washington Post) Episcopal Church Urges Peaceful Solution to U.S.-Iran Conflict (Episcopal News Service) Maine Case on Public Tuition Payments at Religious Schools Heads to Federal Appeals...
Aesop’s Wars: Do Presidents Cry Wolf?
The decision for any president to engage in warlike actions should be taken with great caution and wisdom. Yet our presidents seem to be falling into a pattern of crying wolf when it comes to clear evidence for warlike actions.
Start Off Your New Year Right with the First Psalm
The first psalm is a good text for reflection for the first full week of a new year, pointing eloquently to the kind of life Jesus embodied, to the fruit of the Spirit that Jesus displayed and to the source of his power and influence.
Nurses Top Gallup Honesty List Again; Clergy Stay Near Middle
Nurses in the U.S. continue to receive high marks for honesty and ethics, a Gallup poll found, marking the 18th year in a row that the nursing profession has topped Gallup’s list.
January 8, 2020
Poll: White Evangelicals Disagree with Most Americans on Religion’s Influence on Government Policies (Christian Post) Pompeo Aligns US Foreign Policy with Christian Zionism (Washington Monthly) Non-Traditional Seminary Students are Changing the Church (Christianity...
How You Can Subvert Our Pervasive Culture of Contempt
The culture of contempt is a prevalent force in US society. The author of a new book suggests we must follow 5 rules if we want to subvert that culture for the good of the nation and the world.
Caring for the Poor Does Not Happen from a Distance
God cares about the lost being found, the disconsolate comforted, the suffering helped, the poor lifted up. As Jesus’ story of the rich man and Lazarus teaches us, you cannot love people from a distance. It involves relationships.
Why You Need to Know Our North Star of Religious Freedom
The most significant legislation in the history of religious freedom is not well known to most US citizens. That must change because Christian nationalists are conflating religious freedom to suit their theocratic aims.
January 7, 2019
Beliefnet Co-Founder: The Four Lies Trump Tells Evangelical Christians (The Bulwark) Can Shane Clairborne’s Progressive Vision of Evangelicalism Catch on With a New Generation? (Washington Post) Right-Wing Views in the Name of God for Generation Z, Five Minutes at a...
Have we erred on Ur?
For years, most Bible readers have assumed that Abraham’s hometown should be identified with the great city of Ur, located in southern Mesopotamia, an area known in ancient times as Sumer. The area is now in southern Iraq; the site of Ur is near the modern city of...
Most Evangelicals Won’t Honestly Call Out Trump’s Flaws
Most conservative evangelicals who exhibit unwavering support for President Trump refuse to acknowledge his flaws. If they truly loved him, however, they would be honest in their critique of him.
Two Sets of Magi: Which One Are You?
We’re familiar with the Magi who brought gifts to infant Jesus, but there’s a second set of Magi in Scripture. One knew how to embrace mystery; the other refused to do so out of fear. Which group best represents you?
On Most Issues, Majority Says ‘No’ to Religion Swaying Gov’t Policy
With few exceptions, a majority of U.S. adults don’t want religion influencing government policy, a new report says, which covered 10 issues including abortion, climate change, immigration and poverty.
Is God With Them? Why Refugees May Doubt God’s Presence
As Christians, we proclaim Jesus became flesh and blood to be with us. Yet how many refugees, including 5,000 children torn from their parents’ care, at our southern border must wonder if God is really with them? Are we culpable?
Throughout Life’s Journey, God Pitches a Tent Beside You
In the Gospel of John, we read that ‘the Word became flesh and lived among us.’ God still pitches a tent alongside our celebrations and failures, journeying with us to envision and imagine a life-giving way to wander in this world.