Recent Articles
Pew Study Examines Gaps and Similarities in Teenage Experiences of Girls and Boys
Although teen boys and girls share several experiences, a new Pew Research study found significant differences in their perceived expectations around appearance and strength.
Lent Week 2 | “Heart Songs”
Psalm 27 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Why do you pray? I’m not talking about prayers said in church, your Bible study class or any other setting where we pray as a...
Good Faith Media Attends South by Southwest
Good Faith Media attended the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference in Austin, Texas this week. The conference brings together innovators, creatives, and change-makers for networking and collaboration. GFM attended various interviews and panel discussions on topics ranging from politics to artificial intelligence.
‘Beloved’ Before All Else
We are called to move from baptism into purposeful action, grounded in our core identity: before any action, achievement or belief, we are beloved.
Good Faith Media Announces “Faithful Pride Initiative”
Good Faith Media (GFM) is excited to announce its “Faithful Pride Initiative” (FPI), which will highlight and amplify the stories of LGBTQ+ people of faith doing inspiring work worldwide. Rev. Kali Cawthon-Freels, a longtime GFM contributing correspondent, will lead the initiative.
Christian Worship Music: Dr. Adam Perez Reflects on Challenges and Opportunities
Despite its essential role in our church and spiritual lives, worship music is often critically overlooked and taken for granted as a tradition. While it is ubiquitous in the lives of many Christians, that was not always the case. In its current form, worship music is a relatively recent invention—a carefully crafted and very profitable invention.
What Are We For?
If we are driven by the desire to harm and reduce ourselves to name-calling and the dehumanization of others, no matter how deplorable they may be, we sabotage our efforts and our credibility. Even if we are on the side of the good, we risk being distorted by our hate and gollumed by our fear instead of buoyed by our hope. Motives matter.
Five Years Later: COVID-19 and the Failure of Formation
With each new directive came new doubts. Many wondered, “Do these people even know what they are talking about?” This was a failure of formation. Without the constant reminder that scientific information is conditional and that new information requires new guidance, large segments of the population were left unmoored. Nefarious actors and systems took advantage of this.
The Box-cutter and the Clergywoman
After reviewing the history of Christianity, I knew its violent history. Those who were called “heretics” were imprisoned and often tortured to death. In the fifteenth century, Joan of Arc was burned to death. One of her “crimes” was wearing what authorities called “men’s garments” after leading her army to victory.
Humpty Dumpty Has Fallen Off The Wall
Humpty Dumpty is an apt metaphor for environmental regulation. The government puts it on the wall, only to see a succeeding government cause the fall, knocking Humpty Dumpty to the ground. Once shattered, all subsequent efforts for rehabilitation are futile. It’s just too late.
New Good Faith Media Branding and Website Now Live
Five years after its founding, Good Faith Media (GFM) is proud to announce the launch of its new logo and redesigned website. This transformation reflects GFM’s vision of being a reliable resource contributing to conversations at the intersection of faith and culture using multiple media platforms.
By the Way | Those Liberal Evangelicals
Charles Grandison Finney, by any measure the most important and influential evangelical of the nineteenth century, excoriated greed and free-market capitalism. He suggested that “Christian businessman” was an oxymoron because capitalism elevated avarice over altruism. That’s hardly a conservative view, yet Finney was arguably the most effective evangelist of the antebellum period.
Only a Quarter of Americans Observe Lent, New Survey Finds
According to a new study from Lifeway Research, one in four Americans (26%) surveyed observe Lent, while 74% skip the 40-day observation before Easter, which is traditionally marked by fasting.
Women’s History Month| Remembering Alice Walker and ‘The Color Purple’
This was likely my first introduction to somebodiness, the self-assertion of dignity and worth. To witness Celie’s self-actualization and the expansiveness of her speech points to the shortsightedness of patriarchy and the significant reduction of a woman’s worth to her appearance and ability to labor for the comfort of a man.
Americans’ Support for Daylight Savings Time Wanes
For the first time since 1999, Gallup has surveyed Americans to gauge their opinions about daylight savings time. The poll, conducted between January 21 and 27, found only 40% favor daylight savings time, a 23% decline from 1999.
Notes on Neurodivergence | “Becoming” in Christ
Being neurodivergent has given me a new definition of “sin.” My revised belief allows me to accept my entire identity and conditioned behaviors in society to survive. It’s complicated and not easy. For me, it means enduring the mystery, knowing God can and will show up anyway.
First Sunday of Lent | “Saying No in Order to Say Yes”
Luke 4:1-13 “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil…” A few years ago, two friends who were priests serving at our neighborhood Catholic Church decided they would...
Calling All Prophets: Clear Your Heads and Hearts During Lent
As the world spins out of control during the Lenten season, I plan to prepare myself for the road ahead. The journey before us looks long and arduous, so we must be ready for all the hills and valleys that might stand in our way.
‘African Americans and Religious Freedom’ Aims to Get Readers on the Same Page Concerning Democracy
The second edition of “African Americans and Religious Freedom: New Perspectives for Congregations and Communities” was released on February 28.
Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, Study Finds
The Pew Research Center shares its Religious Landscape Study (RLS) and finds Christianity in the United States, which has been on a steady decline, is stabilizing. The percentage of those who identify as “religiously unaffiliated” has increased.
Vision Quest: What the Coyote and Fox Have to Say about Climate Action
Global warming, pollution, and the loss of biodiversity are the challenges of our lifetime. Are we cunning? Can we be swift in our decision-making? Are we willing to adjust and adapt? I pray that we will say yes!
When the Pulpit Empties: Preaching, Depression, and the God Who Remains
We stand in the pulpit filled with the Spirit, but when we step down, many of us descend into silence—into loneliness and exhaustion so deep it feels like falling into the abyss.
‘I Don’t Need Permission to Do Good Deeds’: A Justice-Loving Ukrainian Pastor Speaks Truth to Power
Gennadiy Mokhnenko is not a perfect man. He’s rough around the edges, a product of decades of geopolitical strife, cultural formation, and an internal disposition incapable of suffering fools lightly. But he is also a disciple of a justice-loving God who holds us all accountable–not for what we believe about Jesus or the ways we pray but for our actions when we are confronted with suffering and oppression.
Indigenous Wine: Dislodging Eurocentric Models That Lead to ‘Latinos for Trump’
When Latines seeking a liberative methodology rest upon Eurocentric philosophical and theological paradigms, they construct resistance on shifting sand, contributing to and continuing their own disenfranchisement.
Women’s History Month | Women are Central Characters, Not Footnotes in the Story of the Church
When we embrace the gifts and leadership of women, we are a step closer to realizing that vision—a church where all are valued, empowered and free to live out their God-given calling.
New Gallup Poll Finds the World Is Less Charitable
A new Gallup poll finds global philanthropy in significant decline. While a surge in charitable activities was noted in 2021 and 2023, last year, the numbers of people donating, volunteering and helping strangers were all down.
None of This is Pro-Life
Twenty years after the publication of “God’s Politics,” the politics of White Christian Nationalism has been largely responsible for producing a revenge-seeking president who has appointed a Hitler-saluting billionaire to upend the federal government in a fury of chaos that is creating a global firestorm of destruction.
Women’s History Month| Remembering Toni Morrison and ‘Cinderella’s Stepsisters’
Before I was bullied by a female employer, Toni Morrison taught me about the ugliness of women who oppress other women. There were, unironically, two other women employees and they considered themselves sisters. And as the “Cinderella” story goes, they watched me suffer her unrelenting cruelty and, at times, participated in it.
Prophetic Economics: When Publishing Becomes Ministry for Voices at the Margins
We admire those who speak truth to power without acknowledging that economic precarity is one of the most effective ways to silence dissent. Radical thinkers need radical support systems. That’s what authorpreneurship is all about.
“Legality, Legality” When There Is No Legality
How can we expect anyone to “obey immigration laws and process” when the United States, while wagging its crooked finger, is not obeying the international laws regarding asylum it established and agreed to?