Recent Articles
Hearing Voices
A recent lectionary text for worship calls into question whose voice we’re hearing. How can we discern when it is the voice of God and when it is our personal desire?
July 12, 2023
Iowa Republicans Pass a New, 6-Week Abortion Ban; For Too Many Christians, the Lines Between Dominionism, Nationalism and Fascism are Blurred; Black Southern Baptist Churches Challenge Denomination’s Vote to Ban Women in Leadership (and more)
A Baptist Dog Tale
The tail is allowed to wag the dog in too many Baptist churches. This creates unhealthy dynamics and prevents congregations from living into their internally professed but outwardly hidden identity. It’s well past time for this to change.
Straight from the Source
TikTok offers a rabbit hole larger and deeper than anything described in “Alice in Wonderland.” In my recent exploration of the platform, I encountered a moral issue related to disability.
July 11, 2023
A Great Day in Africatown, Alabama: Heritage House Opening Surrounded by High Hopes; ‘Enough is Enough’: Ocala Church Calls for Justice for AJ Owens; Alabama May be the Mot Pro-Israel State in the Country (and more)
Baptist World Alliance Launches Global Baptist Mission Network
The Baptist World Alliance launched the Global Baptist Mission Network during its Annual Meeting in Stavanger, Norway, on July 2-5. In addition, Mona Khauli received an award and participants heard from Protestant theologian Miroslav Volf.
Why It’s Difficult to Be Disabled and Christian in America
The guiding principles of Americanized Christianity leave little room for lived realities that depart from the tyrannical narrative of life as a string of successes. Disability is one uncomfortable reality confronting the dominant narrative of the American church.
July 10, 2023
A Small-Town Georgia Preacher Fills Pews by Leaving No One Out; Kentucky Couple ‘Furious’ State Abortion Laws Meant They Couldn’t Hold Their Daughter to Say Goodbye; A Legal Scholar Sizes Up the Religious Argument Against Abortion Bans (and more)
People of Good Faith: Sara Fimmano
Sara Fimmano, a student at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, is a Good Faith Media Ernest C. Hynds Jr. intern for the summer 2023.
Look Back | Why Cooperation Beats Isolationism
The more we cooperate with others, the more we are likely to help. The more we recognize the web of relationships connecting the world, the greater the scope of our moral obligation and sense of solidarity.
July 7, 2023
United Methodists Lose One-Fifth of US Churches in Schism Driven by Growing Defiance of LGBTQ Bans; Killer Mike Talks Spirituality, Grief, Politics and Critics Ahead of His Charleston Show; A Texas Program Pushes Drivers to Pay Old Tickets – and Over 600,000 Have Lost Their Licenses, Deepening the Cycle of Poverty (and more)
Lessons Learned While Standing in Line
A challenging situation while traveling home from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s general assembly turned into an opportunity to witness human decency and kindness in action. Here are a few lessons learned standing in a rental car line.
Are We Living in the “Neo-Dark Ages”?
How will future generations make sense of our present social, political and economic realities? What name will historian give to this era? If I might be so bold, I’d like to suggest one label that seems fitting.
July 6, 2023
Fort Worth Church Apologizes for Comments Made by Duggar Family in-law During Service; Hawley Slammed for Using Fake Founding Father Quote to Push Christian Nationalism on July 4; USC Researchers Use AI to Help Translate Bible into Very Rare Languages (and more)
We Asked for It
Does two weeks of digging in hot, dirty, tiring conditions sound like your idea of vacation? Here’s why my wife and I, along with several students, traveled to Tel Shimron, Israel, to do just that.
Eugenics and Scientific Racism
A report published by Japan’s parliament in mid-June sheds light on the onerous history of eugenics and its harmful use by governments around the world. Tragically, the ideology and belief undergirding eugenics are still evident today.
July 5, 2023
The ‘Shrinking Baptist Convention’ is Doubling Down on the Culture Wars; Divided Church of England to Debate Blessings for Same-Sex Unions; Anglican Church of Canada Finalizes Decision to Replace ‘For the Conversion of the Jews’ Prayer (and more)
“Our Home on Native Land:” Singing for a Change
While performing the Canadian national anthem at the NBA All-Star game in Salt Lake City, Utah in February, Jully Black changed one word of a single lyric— “our home and native land” to “our home on native land.” That preposition made all the difference.
The Danger of Going in the Wrong Direction
There is a parallel between my encounter with a driver heading the wrong way on an interstate and support for authoritarian political movements in the U.S. Sadly, many Christians have embraced these false, fear-driven narratives.
People of Good Faith: Bella Ball
Bella Ball is a Good Faith Media Ernest C. Hynds Jr. intern for the summer 2023. She is studying Management Information Systems at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
July 3, 2023
Web Designer in Supreme Court Anti-Gay Rights Ruling Cited Client Who Denies Making Wedding Site Request; Proud Boys Fined Over $1 Million for Vandalizing Sign at Black Church; Russell Dilday, Former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President, Dies at 92 (and more)
Sometimes We’re Better Off Expelled
Why would churches who disagree with key positions of their denomination want to stay? Why not chart a different path? There will be significant loss in leaving – but there will be even more that will be gained.
Supreme Court Affirms Long-Standing Principle of Judicial Review
The Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision on June 27 in the case of ‘Moore v. Harper.’ The ruling is significant in upholding a longstanding precedent and in affirming prior rulings limiting the independent legislature theory.
Recycled Plastics Often Contain High Levels of Toxic Chemicals
Plastics that are recycled often contain high levels toxic chemicals that can negatively impact people and the planet, according to a Greenpeace report. Thousands of chemicals are used in plastic production, and these are transferred into recycled products.
June 30, 2023
Religious Freedom Arguments Underpin Wave of Challenges to Abortion Ban; Christian Preschool Challenges Religious Exemption in Universal Preschool Program; New Life for Old Churches: These Louisville Bars, Restaurants Were Once Houses of Worship
Lessons from Gladis the ‘Killer Whale’
Orca whales have been attacking boats in the Strait of Gibraltar, with over 20 encounters in the past month. Researchers believe the matriarch of an orca pod has taught her offspring to defend their territory. What lessons and insights can we gain from their actions and example?
American Perspectives on Racism Differ Based on Political Affiliation, Race and Ethnicity
While there is a consensus on racial equality as a basic ethic, Americans still differ based on their political affiliation, race, and ethnicity regarding their views on racism, its affects, and how to address it, according to a Public Agenda/USA TODAY Hidden Common Ground survey published June 15.
Growing Number of U.S. Adults Say Only Two Genders Exist
The number of U.S. adults who affirm only two gender identities has increased in recent years, according to a new report. Nearly two-thirds say, “there are only two gender identities, man and woman.”
June 29, 2023
Saudi Arabia Wants Tourists. It Didn’t Expect Christians.; Historian: Southern Baptists Expel Churches with Women Pastors – But the Debate’s Not Just About Gender; Conservative Baptist Network God $50,000 from Far-Right Political Group Last Year (and more)
Am I Young Enough to Believe?
The Southern Baptist Convention reaffirmed its opposition to women in ministry. I left the SBC long ago, but this recalled the trailblazers ahead of me who likely cannot believe people are still questioning what women can and cannot do.