Recent Articles
America Chose Feelings Over Facts
There’s a reason certain people felt Hillary Clinton was “too corrupt” and Kamala Harris “too dumb.” It’s the same reason most of those people didn’t vote for Nikki Haley, a candidate whose record was almost perfectly aligned with Trump’s.
On Earth as it is in Heaven
Yesterday, we woke up – from the grandiosity of the U.S. mainland to the centennial colony of Puerto Rico, where I live – to conflicting, alarming and risky results. The presidential confirmation of Donald Trump and republican governor Jennifer González, is a bad dream we didn’t want to admit could come true.
The Resistance Begins
Americans made their choice for president, and they have chosen political fascism and religious fundamentalism.
Mercy Now: Mary Gauthier’s Election Wednesday Wisdom
Like all great art, it seems as if Gauthier had a time telescope fixed squarely on this point in the future and knew every detail about the moment we are living in. She knew the lament that would need to be voiced.
Election Day in America
Once America decides, the future of the country’s progress will be in the hands of the winning candidate and those around them. For some, that moment will be inspirational. For others, it will be demoralizing. For each, let us not forget to look across the aisle and see a fellow human.
National Adoption Month | In Every Community, Children Wait
Had it not been for our church celebrating Orphan Sunday, I am not sure when we would have learned how to adopt older children in the United States.
Emerging Voices | Leaning on a Miracle Worker on Election Day
While this season of political strife may leave some anxiety-bound, I rest easy in knowing I am living with a God who can conquer things much more terrifying than a dictator-wannabe trying to overthrow a two-century-old political system.
Haudenosaunee Confederacy Great Law of Peace Recognized as Finalist for 2024 World Policy Future Award
The Geneva-based World Future Council announced the Haudenosaunee Confederacy’s Great Law of Peace has been nominated as a finalist for a World Future Policy Award 2024, which recognizes top policy solutions that can be shared to transform societies towards a more just, healthy and sustainable future.
Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Great Law of Peace, World Policy Future Award
“Down by the Riverside”: The Raceless Gospel for a Desegregated Church
I am calling for a come-to-Jesus- meeting. You could say it’s an intervention. The North American church needs help desegregating, as there remain black and white churches.
Harris’s Unenviable Place on Transgender and Geopolitical Issues
Kamala Harris has done her best to be as careful as possible around two of the most critical issues of our time — transgender rights and conflicts in the Middle East — knowing that emotions run high and are viscerally charged.
We Have a “Confessing Church” in the U.S. It’s Called the Black Church.
The reason we need the Black church is because there is racism in the white church. White Christians can learn how to resist fascism from the Black church, but they would have to admit their historic role in the racism and white supremacy that made the Black church necessary.
Good Faith Media Will Now Operate A Sermon for Every Sunday
Good Faith Media is committed to bringing the best seasoned and emerging preachers to viewers each week as we continue the legacy entrusted to us. As GFM travels the world covering events and telling stories, we will record sermons, bringing the very best voices within progressive Christianity to our audience each week.
Election Data Keeping Robert P. Jones Up At Night
I’m more deeply worried about a set of findings that document support for a toxic cocktail of anti-democratic sentiments that include support for Christian nationalism, authoritarianism, racism, xenophobia, political violence and even a potential coup should Trump not win the election.
The Power of Podcasting: Exploring a New Frontier at Theology Beer Camp
While podcasting has opened new doors for theological engagement, it remains a predominantly white, male-dominated space. Addressing this imbalance is crucial, as diverse voices bring fresh perspectives and help dismantle the long-standing dominance of white, Western theology.
Appreciation vs Appropriation: Halloween Lessons from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”
Where do we draw the line between appreciation and appropriation? To some, it seems blurry at best. I’ve found help identifying that line in a surprising place: “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” the beloved Tim Burton stop-motion animation musical.
Strangers With Candy
The folks here in New England do Halloween better than most. Pumpkins, witches, ghosts, you name it. People sit out on their porches or in lawn chairs. Fire pits blaze, and shadows dance across faces I think I recognize. Some houses even have airplane bottles filled with different spirits for parents.
When my OBGYN Became My Pastor
I had my annual checkup with my OB/GYN during my birthday week this month. My doctor asked about my kiddo, who she helped deliver a few years ago and is now in preschool. Then, “Are you thinking about number two?“ This year, that question hit something raw in my soul....
‘A Hope Graven in the Dawn’: Remembering Kyle Lake
Kyle was 33 when he died. I was 31. In the days after his death, I often thought, “This is terrible, but I wonder what life will be like without Kyle when I am 40 or 50 and beyond?” Now, at 50, I have my answer.
Preparing for a Post-Election “Theology of Recovery”
The image of recovery that is familiar to us from our experience with medical treatment and healthcare often includes what we know as “rehab”— that period and process between treatment and restoration to the desired level of function. A theology of recovery would address how we might interpret and apply faith to the path forward after the “fork in the road” has been chosen.
Movie Review | Conclave
As a Baptist pastor, I know there are two kinds of meetings: The official meeting in the building, where the votes are taken and counted, and the unofficial meeting in the parking lot, where the real business of the church gets done. “Conclave” is a movie about both types of meetings conducted to select a new pope.
Trump and Cruz Fearmonger, Harris and Allred Fumble on Trans Issues
The statewide anti-trans campaign in the Texas senatorial race has mirrored the one being waged by Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, in the presidential election. And in both, they have added another wrinkle: Accusations that the U.S. government is paying for gender-affirming care for undocumented immigrants in detention for crossing the border illegally.
“You Lied to Me About God”: An Interview with Jamie Marich: Part Two
This is part two of my interview with Jamie Marich, a sought-after speaker and consultant and an expressive artist. Marich is also the author of a new and courageous memoir, “You Lied to Me About God.”
National Healing and the Rhymes of History
Mark Twain allegedly said that history may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes. We are certainly no strangers to public figures being misquoted or misrepresented, but the adage holds true.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Let’s Talk About Proverb 11 Men
For years, I had been taught about an unnamed Proverb 31 woman. But there had been no mention of these unnamed Proverb 11 men, “who trouble their households” and, as a result, “inherit the wind” (11:29a, NRSV).
“You Lied to Me About God”: An Interview with Jamie Marich: Part One
Jamie Marich is committed to helping people and systems flourish. Marich is also the author of a courageous memoir, “You Lied to Me About God.”
Enrolled Freshmen at U.S. Colleges and Universities Decreased in Fall 2024 from Previous Year
Preliminary Fall 2024 enrollment data from colleges and universities across the United States indicates a 5% decrease from 2023 in the number of first-year students enrolled, according to a National Student Clearinghouse Research Center report. The study found the dropoff more drastic for public 4-year universities (-8.6%) than for public 2-year institutions (-3.1%).
Researchers, Historians and Theologians Host Faith and Democracy Tour
With so much on the line in less than two weeks, people of good faith need to rise up, advocate, and use their voices and votes to declare faith and democracy as essential tools for a prosperous American future.
‘People, People, People’ : Catching Up With Zach Russell
Late last year, I visited with Zach Russell about his 2023 album, “Where the Flowers Meet the Dew,” which has been in heavy rotation on my playlist this year. We recently caught up to discuss his new song and writing process.
The New Deconstructors
When I was younger, I despised telling an older person about a new idea I was mulling over, only to hear some version of the response, “That’s not new.” How dare they use their experience and wisdom to disavow me of the notion that I have thought thoughts that have never been thought by the brightest thinkers who have ever thought thoughts?
An Open Letter to LGBTQ+ Trump Supporters
Christian nationalists or other extreme fundamentalist Christians generally do not believe our identities are valid. They believe that how we exist in the world and who we are are “sins.” These are not just religious beliefs they practice on their own. They are fully committed to legally stripping us of any remaining rights we have in this country.