Recent Articles
New Survey Finds Americans’ Enthusiasm for Voting Is “Average”
A new Gallup survey finds slightly more than half of U.S. adults (54%) express enthusiasm about voting this year than in previous elections. Forty-one percent of respondents are less enthusiastic.
Baptist Bill is Still Baptist Bill
I became more moderate in my religion while becoming quite liberal in my views of science, particularly the controversial topic of evolution.
April 11, 2024
If A.I. Takes Our Jobs, Will it Also Take Our Purpose?; Plans to Turn Cambridge Church Tower into Climbing Facility (BBC)
Photos Challenge Misconceptions About What it Means to be an American Muslim (and more)
April 10, 2024
Poll: Muslims Most Discriminated Group in US, But Jews Not Far Behind; Arizona Supreme Court Rules that a Near Total Abortion Ban from 1864 is Enforceable; In 1934, an Opera Was Composed at a Concentration Camp. Now, it’s a Graphic Novel. (and more)
What We Say We Believe About Abortion
A lot of digital ink and emotional energy has been spent lamenting how Trump supporters mindlessly follow him, regardless of what he does. What doesn’t get talked about enough is what an expert follower Trump is.
An Increasing Number of Americans Say Jews and Muslims Face Discrimination
The percentage of U.S. adults who believe Jews and Muslims face a lot of discrimination has increased, according to a Pew Research Report released on April 2.
Seeing Through the Gossamer Veil: Experiencing Transfiguration Every Day
Transfiguration Day isn’t just one Sunday in the liturgical year, but every day if you have eyes to see.
April 9, 2024
How Putin’s Christian Nationalism Seduced the American Right; Yes, We’re Divided. But New AP-NORC Poll Shows Most Americans Still Agree on Core American Values; North Texas Groups Will Host a 3-Day Event to Raise Environmental Awareness (and more)
Mysticism and the Raceless Gospel
The raceless gospel delivered me from white supremacy. Before receiving this message, I questioned my relationship with Jesus, given the history of Christianity in North America. Namely, American slavery and the belief that people racialized as white have supreme control over people racialized as black.
Medical Aid in Dying
Opposition to HB 1283 and the Medical Aid in Dying movement has arisen from various corners of the ideological spectrum. These include conservative religious groups with classic “right to life” arguments as well as disability advocates. The latter express concern for the potential abuse of the mentally ill, disabled and older adults.
Waiting in Line for Communion
For most of us, bread is a mystery. We buy it at the grocery store in loaves that come in plastic bags. If, on occasion, we bake it at home, we often use a bread machine, which feels like cheating.
April 8, 2024
What Americans Lost When They Stopped Going to Church; Zakaria: How Trump Fills a Void in an Increasingly Secular America; The Strange World of Catholic ‘Integralism’ – Christian Nationalism (and more)
Who Is Really in Church Leadership?
No matter how hard a church might try, they can never control the call of God.
Easter Still Draws the Largest Crowd for Many Churches
Easter, Christmas and Mother’s Day are the three most attended Sundays in U.S. churches. According to a recent Lifeway Research report, Easter has the highest attendance of them all.
Nurturing Faith Journal Preview: “Up to God, Out to All”
Across the centuries, institutional Christianity has made Jesus primarily about a problem–condemnation, and a solution–atonement. But the Jesus of the four gospels was primarily concerned with life, how to live it, and love and how to give it.
April 5, 2024
Preaching Spiritual Coexistence During Ramadan as a Palestinian-Israeli Imam; Uganda’s Constitutional Court Rejects Petition Against Anti-Gay Law; The New Science of Death: ‘There’s Something Happening in the Brain that Makes No Sense’ (and more)
Listening to Voices While Packing Boxes
As we prepare for the move, we’ve unpacked and repacked two decades of boxes filled with remarkable memories. With each box, it’s hard not to hear all the voices echoing throughout our lives.
The Inaugural Global Flourishing Survey Shows a Link Between Religious Observances and Human Flourishing
The Global Flourishing Study’s (GFS) first survey results show a connection between spiritual and religious beliefs and practices and human flourishing, according to a new Gallup report.
An Outbreak of MPox in the Democratic Republic of Congo Should Cause Concern
We need to remember the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic. If a virus threatens people anywhere, it threatens people everywhere.
April 4, 2024
Why Do So Many Christian Colleges and Universities Maintain Gendered Residence Life Policies?; Families Find Ways to Protect Their LGBTQ Kids; LGBTQ-Inclusive Church in Cuba Welcomes All in a Country that Once Sent Gay People to Labor Camps (and more)
About that Lifehouse Skit: A Conversation with Katie Pruitt
“The more I have gotten away from Christianity, and all the ways I’ve kind of come back to it as a student, I find this version of Jesus as a white dude with blue eyes and abs so confusing. It’s just so far away from the truth.”
Religiously Unaffiliated Is the Fastest Growing Religious Category
According to a new national survey from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), U.S. adults who identify as religiously unaffiliated are the fastest-growing religious category. It’s also the only category experiencing growth.
Oscar Romero and The Violence of Love
Love is the only power that can confront violence and overcome it by converting violent people into people of goodwill and peace.
April 3, 2024
Fake Right-Wing Panic About “Trans” Easter is Part of Trump’s Push for Christian Nationalism; Oklahoma State Supreme Court to Hear Arguments About Taxpayer Funded Religious Charter School; Using Civil Rights-era Laws, Trump Allies Plot Anti-Racism Protections – for White People (and more)
In the Flesh
“Christ is risen; he is risen indeed.” Now, what? We return to our homes and to business as usual.
Ending White Affirmative Action Programs Known as “Legacy”
Since World War I, the normative quota system at the most prestigious universities and colleges has been replaced by a more benign-sounding system—legacy.
Trump’s Dangerous Rhetoric of Dehumanization
Trump’s dehumanizing language about immigrants to this country–referring to them as vermin, rapists, criminals, drug dealers, and worse–reflect the continuing influence of white, Christian supremacy at the core of the Doctrine that stains the United States.
April 2, 2024
The Oldest Black School in America is Reopening to the Public; The Ancient, Volatile Christian Ideas Behind Trump’s Obsession With Blood; The Rocking Story of How Religion Crept into Popular Music—Where it Remains Even Today (and more)
April 1, 2024
‘I’m Spiritual’: Navigating Black Women’s Complex Relationship With Religion, Spirituality and Labeling Our Faith ; Christian Communities in North America Lead Solidarity Walks for Gaza Amid Ongoing War; Pope Overcomes Health Concerns to Preside Over Easter Mass and Appeal for Peace in Gaza and Israel (and more)
What Is This?: Two Easter Stories
Some Christians save money their entire lives for the journey to our holiest site. Hearing the story of Life tearing through the veil of death is our sustenance. But, if we have the privilege of doing so, placing one foot in front of the other toward the place where it happened can reinvigorate our faith and belief.