Recent Articles
Faith and Democracy: The Tired Trope of Voter Intimidation
While representation has always been at the forefront of the American experiment, the right to vote has been difficult to secure for everyone except white landowning males. The ongoing battle for equality in the United States is underscored by the historical struggle for voting rights, particularly for marginalized groups.
What Trump’s NABJ Comments and Outrage Over Imane Khelif Have in Common
A gracious interpretation of Trump’s comments is that, as he nears the end of his eighth decade on earth, he is just now learning that people with different racial identities can have children with each other. A more likely reading, given his history, is that he’s had the comments about Harris’ identity in his back pocket, just waiting for an opportunity to introduce Birtherism 2.0 into political discourse.
God’s Olympic Team
The reality is that our entire current understanding of what makes a nation is a relatively new phenomenon. It is a European invention of the 16th century that developed over a few hundred years and was forced upon the rest of the world, mainly through violence.
GFM is Hiring!: Director of Development and Grants
Good Faith Media is accepting resumes through August 31, 2024, for the Director of Development and Grants position. The director will develop and implement a multilayered advancement and grant-acquisition strategy.
Trump Officially Disavows Project 2025, but Does He Reject Its Vision for America?
Trump has been desperately trying to duck questions about Project 2025 over the last few weeks, claiming “I know nothing about Project 2025” and “I have no idea who is behind it.” But of course, we’ve heard this kind of denial before.
A Brief History of the “Cat-Lady” Trope
Regardless of intention or attempt at humor— Vance’s comments highlight a misogynist attitude that goes back centuries. From witch trials to the suffragette movement and beyond, this sentiment reemerges whenever women’s rights are on the table.
Olympic Outrage: Attack or Accountability?
If the church is to be attacked, let it be because we have loved too extravagantly. Let it be because we have been courageous in challenging unjust systems, even when those systems contribute to our own comfort.
They Lost God and Found Trump: A New Conservative Wave
For America to be cleansed of its past, it must realize that racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia and the establishment of a pigmentocracy are demonic. America must define itself once and for all as either an Anglo-Saxon nation or a melting pot for all people.
Public Perception Trails Data on Border
A Harvard CAPS-Harris survey finds many Americans believe elected Democrats are keeping the southern U.S. border open. Yet U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data suggests that border crossings have reached a three-year low.
More Than One Kind Of Parent
Although they (my boys) gave me a reality check on the rigors of parenting, stepparenting didn’t discourage me from having children. Instead, it caused me to ponder, “Maybe my ultimate vocation is to help parent other peoples’ children?”
Ordination in the Wild (Goose): Invoking the Spirit of Will Campbell
The stars aligned, as they sometimes do. Organizers from the Goose called and I answered. And so, in early July, my family and I headed south from New England toward Union Grove— back home to North Carolina to refamiliarize ourselves with the heavy humidity of southern summers.
Where Injustice Lies
Thomas Watson, a 17th century Puritan minister wrote, “Injustice lies in two things: either not to punish where there is fault or to punish where there is no fault.” His words are fitting considering the murder of Sonya Massey.
Emerging Voices | Narrowing the Generational Gap in Churches
It is common to attend Sunday worship services and have no idea who the people next to us are. By bringing generations together, congregations can be stronger and more unified, improving each member’s quality of life.
How Can America Be Born Again If the Church Is Not?
This nation is on the precipice of a dystopian future. The church must reclaim its prophetic voice and unshackle itself from diabolic ideologies to foster a society that genuinely embodies the radical, transformative teachings of the gospel.
Enjoying Olympic Beauty
What if we could simply appreciate a glimpse into the different cultures of the world while remaining true to our own identity?
The Goose is Loose
Wild Goose is “a 4-day festival at the intersection of justice, spirituality, and art.” It was inspired by American Christians who attended the Greenbelt Festival in the United Kingdom, an outdoor music festival with spiritual and justice-oriented undertones.
Reading Between the Lines of the Bible
Stories can be dangerous when they don’t come directly from the source. When hearing a story secondhand, it is easy to assume the outcome.
We Need the Truth and Healing Commission
Tomorrow, the U.S. Senate will consider the passage of the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act of 2023. This act would be an important step toward national accountability for government policies that sought to destroy tribal communities and cultures by tearing families apart.
Calling on Jesus Ain’t Enough: When ‘I Rebuke You’ Falls Short in a Broken World
Our dearly departed sister, Sonya Massey, called on that name, doing what many prophets told her to do. Still, this beautiful black sister was murdered in her home, in a country that prides itself on being a nation built on so-called “Judeo-Christian values.”
Rising Numbers of Americans Believe Life Evolved Without God
A recent Gallup poll revealed a split among Americans on three distinct ideas about human origins.
The GOP’s Kayfabe Christianity
Last week in Milwaukee, kayfabe solidified its influence on another dominant American institution at its nominating convention: the Republican Party.
Between “I Get It” and “¡Ay bendito!”: Imposter Syndrome in Ministry
The struggles of daily routines, staff meetings, administrative expectations, and conversations about church lead to a haunting question, “How is your church doing?” When we respond truthfully, we are usually met with either, “I get it” or, “¡Ay bendito!”
Joe Biden Has Given Democracy a Fighting Chance
Biden’s decision to end his re-election effort was difficult and heroic. He has worked since 1987 to be elected President.
American Public’s Perception of Christians Continues to Decline
A Lifeway Research study finds the image of Christians is in decline among Americans. Churchgoers believe this is the responsibility of both Christians and the country’s citizens.
A Hug From God
In September of 2005, I happened upon an article explaining the concept of a prayer shawl ministry. The idea was that a shawl– lap robe, scarf or hat– would be knitted or crocheted. While it was being created, the person knitting would be in prayer for the recipient whose shoulders that shawl would eventually cover.
Simone Biles, J.D. Vance, and America’s Relationship with Trauma
When I witnessed the events of Tokyo 2021 as a trauma therapist and a survivor of developmental trauma and sexual assault, I knew what I was seeing: A trauma response of a body no longer cooperating with a brain that had reached its breaking point.
We Need Safer Words: A Passage to Somebodiness
We need safer words. Last week, I said this to the conversation partners who gathered under a tent at the Wild Goose Festival to hear my rifts on somebodiness.
The Sacrament of Community: Reflections on the Wild Goose Festival
What makes community holy is not its perfection but its acknowledgment of its own imperfections and its commitment to growth. Not growth that is concerned with monetization and profit, but the growth that invites us to become better people.
Wisdom Wherever You Find It | Everybody Hates the Jews
The speech and drama team from Evanston High School, with whom my New Trier team shared a bus, loved singing this song on the way to tournaments. I must have heard it fifty times over the years, and each time, the lyric in question was sung with particular gusto, followed by laughter that mystified me because all those kids had sung it themselves so many times.
Trump: Thankfully Alive But More Dangerous Than Ever
While Trump immediately told reporters that his message after the assassination attempt would be one of unity, the rhetoric coming from the Republican National Convention this week— and his pick of J.D. Vance as his running mate—suggests he is doubling down on his divisive and dangerous message yet again.