Recent Articles
The Shell Game: Centrist Christians’ Favorite Game
The greatest enemy of freedom is not white Christian nationalists breaching the U.S. Capitol. It’s white moderate — now centrist — Christian males advocating for civility over justice.
Wisdom Wherever You Find It| A Faith in Better Tomorrows
The scramble to erect blockades to the honest public expression of an honest internal landscape says more about the insecurity of the proponents of these barbed-wire barriers than anything else. They are fighting a losing battle and, as such, are on the wrong side of history.
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
I believe in the importance of journalism, including local journalism. I love the feel of a print newspaper in my hands. Still, though it breaks my heart, we have to break up.
A Pastor With No Vision
In this office, one is continuously asked to manage and address a specific query. What’s your plan for us? What’s your vision for this church?
The Challenge of Unpursued Truth
A recent lectionary text for worship question calls into question whose voice we’re hearing.
‘Morning Conversations on the Prophetic Word’ Now Available from Nurturing Faith Books
Morning Conversations on the Prophetic Word: Isaiah–Malachi by Jon R. Roebuck is now available from Nurturing Faith Books, Good Faith Media’s publishing imprint. This is the fourth volume in a five-part series.
Never Forget: No Reparations for Survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre
Survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre filed a lawsuit for reparations and the rebuilding of the Greenwood District. Caroline Wall, an Oklahoma judge, dismissed it and don’t you ever forget it.
How Realistic Fiction Promotes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
A good story offers readers both a reflection of themselves and a window into the lives of others. The genre of realistic fiction does both of these well, helping to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in our schools and communities.
Emerging Voices | How Comfort Can Make Us Complacent
Jesus didn’t settle for the luxuries of his title or seek to be crowned king after performing a few miracles. So, why don’t we all learn from him and step out of our comfort zones?
Overall Confidence in U.S. Institutions Hits All-Time Low
There is little improvement in American’s confidence in U.S. institutions, according to a Gallup report published on July 6.
July 14, 2023
Florida Rabbi Challenges the Bible on Library Shelves in Palm Beach County Public Schools; Some Evangelicals Rejoice at the Church of England’s Fossil Fuel Divestment; The Gunman Who Killed 11 People in Pittsburgh is Eligible for the Death Penalty (and more)
Good Faith Media Creates Endowment Fund in Honor of John D. Pierce
Good Faith Media has established an endowment fund in honor of John D. Pierce. The John D. Pierce Endowment Fund is a planned giving opportunity for foundations, institutions and individuals interested in supporting faith-based journalism.
Why I’m Unashamedly Progressive, and What Defines My Progressive Faith
Once a flaming fundamentalist, here’s why I am now unashamedly progressive.
Imagining God
How you imagine God as children will have a spiritual effect on us into adolescence and adulthood.
July 13, 2023
‘Get back in line with God’: Fundamentalism Christian YouTubers furious with Duggar documentary ‘Shiny Happy People’; The Surprising Share of Americans Who Don’t See Political Divisions at Church; Evangelical Churches Turn to US Jewish Nonprofit to Help Them Have Hard Conversations
Body/Building: Season Four of The Raceless Gospel Podcast Calls for Embodiment
Season four of The Raceless Gospel podcast invites listeners to take a fresh look at what it means to follow Jesus – to the ends of the earth and/or into a church building.
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)