Recent Articles
October 26, 2023
How We Talk About the Israel-Hamas War; Documentary on Black Millennials Depicts Wide Range of Religion, Rebellion; ‘Christ’ Tattoo Discovered on 1,300-Year-Old Body in Sudan (and more)
Reimagining Satan as Trickster
Halloween is just around the corner. As I decorate my house with hideous diabolical symbols, my thoughts return to a book Albert Hernandez and myself wrote a few years back titled The Quest for the Historical Satan.
End-Times Theology Creates Apathy Toward Human Suffering
If you believe that Jesus is all-powerful, then it’s illogical to also believe that any human action could prevent the Second Coming. If something as small as the presence of the “wrong people” in the Holy Land is enough to keep Jesus from returning, then your Jesus is weak indeed.
October 25, 2023
World Leaders Seek to Suspend Israel-Hamas Fighting for Gaza Aid; Man Linked to White Supremacist Group Pleads Guilty to Drag Hosting Church Firebombing; Church Parking Near Stadiums Scores Big in a Win-Win for Faith Congregations and Sports Fans (and more)
Riding Out of West to Well-Deserved Accolades
Reluctantly, but with understanding and appreciation, Benny and Juanita are moving to Memphis to be near family. But their hearts will always be closely held by the western gateway to America’s first national park.
Embodying Inclusion
I think we need to go back to our roots, back to whom we claim to follow— Jesus.
Confidence in U.S. Media at a Record Low
Confidence in U.S. media hits a record low, according to a report released by Gallup on October 19.
That No One Would Suffer
How I wish that no one would suffer and that we would work towards healing what sharply divides us. I think we need to talk about it. “War is what happens when language fails,” Margaret Atwood said.
Fall Giving Campaign: Help Us Grow Our Audience
Interacting with Good Faith Media on social media does not cost you anything. Liking a post on X or reposting a graphic on your Instagram stories is a quick and easy way to show your support.
October 23, 2023
Israel Strikes Gaza, Syria and West Bank as War Against Hamas Threatens to Ignite Other Fronts; Church of England Joins Catholic Church, Orthodox Churches Calling for Ceasefire After Israel Kills Christian Palestinians; David French: The Worst Scandal in American Higher Education Isn’t in the Ivy League. It’s at Liberty University (and more)
Killing Capitalism
Capitalism is devouring itself. The greatest threat to entrepreneurship is the savage neoliberal global economic order which has developed.
The Lamentable but Inevitable Israeli- Hamas War
Deplore war all we may, eventually people who’ve suffered oppression without satisfactory recourse through peaceful means will embrace violent means to determine their own destiny rather than continue suffering oppression. As President John F. Kennedy said in 1962, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.”
October 20, 2023
Biden Says Aid Could Enter Gaza on Friday as Israel and Egypt Give Go-Ahead; FBI Director Warns of Increase in Domestic Threat Reports Linked to Israel-Hamas War; Religion Professor: Babe Ruth, Patron Saint of the Home Run, Turned the Ball Field into a Church – and Lived His Own Catholic Faith in the Spotlight; Camels Lived in Texas Before Migrating to Asia and the Middle East (and more)
My Brother’s Keeper
As I think about the events unfolding in the Middle East over the last week, I am reminded of this biblical story—along with a slew of others chronicling conflict between brothers.
A Spiritual Perspective on Political Conflict: Unveiling the Intersectionality of Hate
As we peer into the Middle East, we see a microcosm of this global struggle. Yet, the crisis is not confined to this region alone. It resonates through the corridors of power and echoes in the hearts of people across the United States.
October 19, 2023
Synod on Synodality ‘Cannot Remove Pages from the Bible,’ Anti-LGBTQ Synod Archbishop Says; NC Pastor’s Son Accidentally Shoots 2-Year-Old Brother in Head Outside NC Church, Pastor Says; ‘Come and Take Them:’ America’s Number One Source of Stolen Firearms in 2022 was Parked Vehicles, Many with Gun Stickers (and more)
Messianic Trump Syndrome: The “Shared Psychosis” of Trumpianity
Millions, dismissing Jesus’ inclusive, compassionate and peaceful life and teachings, hang on their extremist political messiah’s every word. So widespread is Trump’s messianic following that some mesmerized adherents of Trumpianity have been known to praise their savior’s divinity on billboards and in books.
Like a Rolling Stone: The Church and Rock ‘N’ Roll United by a Hard Truth
What does the church have in common with Rolling Stone? A recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner reveals a truth that hits hard for the church, too: White men rule the roost, and the people in charge like it that way.
October 18, 2024
Hostages Languish in Gaza and Israel Rethinks Prisoner Swaps; ‘War Knows No Religion’: Gaza’s Oldest Church Shelters Muslims, Christians; Black Success, White Backlash; In Alabama, Where Abortions are Banned and Maternal Mortality Rate High, Maternity Units are Closing and Women Have to Travel Further for Care (and more)
Was Jesus Ever Scammed?
I can’t say for sure that Jesus got scammed. But he didn’t always get the results he desired.
“The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” in Couples Therapy
One of the most helpful tools I have found in my work with couples is what John Gottman calls the “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”
The Horror and the Hope
For the Jewish people and for the residents of Israel, this is a terrible time.
October 17, 2023
In Gaza War, Israel v. Christian Leaders May be Preview of Israel v. Vatican; How the Israel-Hamas War May Reconfigure the Synod of Bishops; Legendary Musician John Mellencamp Makes Appearance in Legendary Savannah Church (and more)
Fall Fundraising Campaign: Until the Raceless Gospel Dwells Among Us
Good Faith Media supports those who have visions and dreams of a new way of being and belonging. For me, that is the witness of the raceless gospel and the work of The Raceless Gospel Initiative.
Our Departed Family Members: Keeping the Flame Alight
For Jewish people, death is not an ending. We are taught that we live on in the memories of those whose lives we impacted. That memory, that legacy remains long after a loved one has died, living on like a small candle within each of our hearts.
October 16, 2023
7 Big Questions About the Israel-Hamas War, Answered; US Has Seen Increase in Domestic Threats Since Hamas Attacks in Israel, FBI Says; For American Evangelicals Who Back Israel, ‘Neutrality Isn’t an Option’ (and more)
Seeking Comfort During Times of Horror
Sitting in the United States, getting alerts about Hamas’s terrorist attacks on Israel on Saturday, during one of our Holy Days was shocking, dizzying and momentarily, paralyzing.
Where There is No Justice, There Can Be No Peace
In allowing these atrocities to continue, we risk losing sight of the fact that all human beings have the right to live free from threats to their safety. We risk becoming blind to the reality that this is a multifaceted conflict.
Rachel Weeps: My Response to the War in the Middle East
And now that open war has broken out across the region, the real victims of this extended conflict will be the innocent Jewish and Palestinian families attempting to live out their lives in peace. For them, I weep.
Look Back| Land of Canaan: Whose Land Is It?
If it’s a matter of who got there first, the Israelites have a case against the Palestinians. If it’s a matter of who has held control of the land most recently and for the longest period of time, the Palestinians have a case against the Israelis.