Recent Articles
Take No Prisoners
No bars, no numbers and no orange jumpsuits, still, the world is full of captives. People confined to points of view and poor interpretations of identity, membership and belonging, we are either in or out.
Un-Explicit about Explicit Content: Grammys Move Christian Artist’s Album from CCM to Pop
If those are the metrics for warning folks of graphic content, where’s the “explicit content” warning on the songs about bathing in the blood of a murdered Palestinian Jew? Or does the upbeat acoustic guitar music make those songs palatable enough to forgo the warning?
Look Back | A Few Words about Two Words: Zionism and Antisemitism
Zionism and antisemitism are largely misunderstood terms. Here is a brief introduction and overview of the history of these concepts and their meaning.
November 27, 2023
Rosalyn Carter: The Carter Center Releases Motorcade Route; Hamas Releases Third Group of Hostages as Part of Truce, and Says It Will Seek to Extend the Deal; Saving Gullah Geechee Praise Houses Before Their African Lineage is Forgotten (and more)
A Thanksgiving Message from Good Faith Media
We are thankful for the Good Faith community and the many ways you continue to support our work.
“The Holdovers” Enters the Christmas Film Canon
“The Holdovers” is not “Dead Poets Society.” All its characters remain deeply flawed at the end of the film. Though there is a heroic turn in the story, there are no heroes in the conventional sense of the word.
From Gratitude to Authenticity
Among the many reasons we say such harmful things is pain. Our pain and other people’s pain make us uncomfortable, so we try to cheer them up and silver-line situations that don’t have any sparkle in them. We point to the sunny side by telling the person all they have to be grateful for.
Greenpeace Releases Its Dollars vs. Democracy Report and Offers a Look Inside the Fuel Industry’s Playbook
The fossil fuel industry plays a significant role in protest suppression and opposition, according to a report released by Greenpeace last month.
November 22, 2023
‘Extraordinary’: Tributes and Remembrances for Rosalyn Carter After Her Death; Thanksgiving is a Celebration of Indigenous Food and Native American Culture for Chef Walks First; This Film May Change Your Mid About Homosexuality and the Bible – If You Watch It (and more)
Identifying Narcissism and Seeking Out the Opposite
How others choose between a life of self-absorption, self-service and self-preservation — or a healthy self-esteem rooted in humility — deserves our attention and honest evaluation. Otherwise, we fuel their narcissism to the detriment of ourselves and others.
Red Letter Christians Hosts “Spiritual Formation & Nonviolent Organizing” Training
Red Letter Christians hosted a live virtual training, “Spiritual Formation & Nonviolent Organizing,” with Vonnetta L. West on November 16.
By the Way | Rosalynn Carter, Feminist
By the time the Carters reached the White House in 1977, they were full partners. Rosalynn was the first first lady to have an office in the East Wing, and she often attended Cabinet meetings.
November 21, 2023
‘A Battle Inside Us’: Hebrew Catholics in the Holy Land Wrestle with Challenges of War; Jerusalem Christians Rally Around Armenian Church Over Land Deal; California Church Crafts Online Worship Experiences Designed for Parishioners with Memory Loss (and more)
No Thanks to Suffering
It’s considered rude to not say, “Thank you.” The expression of gratitude is treated as a rule, used to measure if “your mama taught you better.”
When War Wages War, Everyone Suffers
Peace from war does not always mean escaping death. And if these numbers are accurate—which there is no reason to believe they are not accurate — then these are the even greater mass casualties from war that far outweigh deaths brought about by bullets and bombs.
Rosalynn Carter Showed Quiet Leadership and Deep Compassion
In an interview with then Baptists Today in the October 1999 issue, she shared how questions about the availability of mental health services surfaced decades ago when her husband was first running for governor of Georgia.
November 20, 2023
First Baptist Church Austin Turns Down Multimillion Dollar Bids, Will Redevelop Downtown Austin; Methodist Church Approves Split of 261 Georgia Congregations After LFBTQ+ Divide; Churches Become Wartime Homes for Gaza’s Tiny Christian Community (and more)
Lusting for Power: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and His “Biblical Worldview”
Do you recall the few people who Jesus criticized? They were the conservative religious leaders, the wealthy and the powerful who discriminated against others. Sometimes those self-righteous folk called Jesus evil because he was way too kind and inclusive for their liking.
On Not Becoming What We Hate
The great travesty of Christianity is how it became a hyper-individualized religion focused on getting disembodied souls into some ‘other’ place rather than the Way to bring heaven to earth, redeeming the hells that we have created, transforming them into gardens of human flourishing.
Texas A&M Pays Coach $77 Million: How Should People of Faith Respond?
While I want to wait to pass judgment, a larger question looms within this conversation. Is American culture’s obsession with sports sinful?
Guns, Masks and Moral Injury in Pastors
These ministry tasks have become exponentially more challenging as people have leaned further into their own desires, aided by an economic policy that permeates nearly every aspect of American life and emphasizes doing for me and mine at any cost.
Old Barns and Dying Churches
Many churches face the same fate as the one that nurtured me. It can seem that the best way for a church to fill the pews is to preach the white, male MAGA “gospel” of American exceptionalism or to quietly uphold that worldview with a wink and a nod and an appeal to “unity” and “centrism.”
Confidence in Police Rises, but Feeling of Safety Doesn’t
Confidence in law enforcement grows but the world doesn’t feel any safer, according to Gallup’s latest Law and Order Report, published on October 31.
November 15, 2023
Jimmy Allen: The Fifth Freedom: Freedom From Hate; Pope Removes Tyler’s Bishop Joseph Strickland After Opposition to Church; John Blake: Here’s Another Christian Movement that’s Changing Our Politics. It Has Nothing to do With Whiteness or Nationalism. (and more)
Persecution Not What It’s Often Claimed to Be
Growing up in a majority culture can lead one to expect to have outsized influence over those who look, think or live differently. Any challenge to that familiar and controlling power is threatening — and too often misrepresented as persecution.
The Ethics of Turner’s Rebellion
Why is it that when colonizers fight for their so-called liberties, they are called freedom fighters and patriots, but when the colonized do the same, they are called terrorists?
November 14, 2023
Catholic Dioceses Spent at Least $1.7 Million in Ohio Against Allowing Women to Control Their Own Bodies. The Church Lost.; Nearly 80% of Italians Say They are Catholic. But Few Regularly go to Church.; Native Alaskan Healer Named North’s America’s First Female Saint in Orthodox Church (and more)
Preaching the Raceless Gospel
I proclaim the raceless gospel now, but initially, I didn’t even want to preach.
Wisdom Wherever You Find It | Feed Your Head
Education is not about imparting information. It is about developing the ability to think.
November 13, 2023
What Israelis Think of the War With Hamas; RNC Warns Candidates that Attending Iowa Christian Group’s Forum Will Disqualify Them from Debates; Why is Mike Johnson Flying a Christian Nationalist Flag Outside His Office? (and more)