Recent Articles
Pope Urges Identifying, Welcoming and Integrating Vulnerable Migrants
Pope Francis met with refugees and asylum seekers on March 18. He offered praise for humanitarian corridors created by ecumenical Christian organizations and emphasized the importance of governments and non-governmental organizations identifying and welcoming vulnerable people.
U.S. Remains Divided Along Political Lines on Immigration Policy
A plurality of U.S. adults want a reduction in immigration to the nation, according to an AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research report. Republicans generally support deterrent policies, while Democrats tend to support pathways to citizenship.
Lenten Lectionary | We Are Collaborators
The season of Lent is a paradox in many ways. We wait and we work. We examine ourselves and we journey together. Ultimately, we remind ourselves that God is here. Yes, even here.
Ron DeSantis, God’s Protector (According to the DeSantis Bible)
South of the Georgia border one weekend early last year in Florida, evil made a real appearance in the form of Neo-Nazis waving swastika flags and yelling “White Power!” Pressed to condemn the Nazis, Florida governor Ron DeSantis refused.
U.S. State Department Releases Annual Human Rights Reports
The U.S. State Department published the “2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices” on March 20. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered brief remarks about the report during a press conference.
March 22, 2023
‘Spiritual Exemplars’ Change the Narrative About Religion; ‘God Loves Trans Kids’: SC Billboard Sparks Conversations About Religion and Gender Identity; Science vs. Religion as Greek Priests Lead the Anti-vax Movement
The Exasperation of Talking Truth With Those Who Confuse It With Comfort
Many have become comfortable with the embrace of untruths, including a large number who profess to be Christians. How do we advance truth in a cultural setting in which truth is not highly valued?
Unhealthy Church Leadership Hurts
Churches are filled with the “walking wounded,” people whose lives are affected by life challenges and traumas. They put on a happy face and dress to look their best, but underneath they are hurting.
Religious Bias Incidents Third Most Frequent U.S. Hate Crime
Religious bias incidents were the third most frequent type of hate crime committed in the U.S. in 2021, with anti-Jewish bias the most common religious bias incident, according to new FBI data.
March 21, 2023
U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Christian Preacher’s Challenge to University; Defending White Privilege, Christian School Demands Right to Discriminate Against Employees in the Name of Religious Freedom; Mormon Church Gives Water to Boost Imperiled Salt Lake (and more)
Why We Need a Mystical Spirituality of ‘Somebodiness’
We need a mystical spirituality of “somebodiness.” Not to be confused with celebrity status or self-righteousness, there is a need for a deep sense of knowing who we are as human beings.
By the Way | The Exhilaration of Archival Research
Archival research is great fun, offering a kind of treasure hunt – although the best discoveries are the ones you find along the way. Here are a few interesting findings related to Billy Graham, politics and evangelicals that I discovered recently.
What Contributes to Happiness?
I have never met anyone with perfect circumstances, or anyone who constantly lives in a state of perpetual bliss and ecstasy. So, what really makes a person happy? Here are five traits I’ve observed in happy people.
March 20, 2023
South Carolinians Haley and Scott Aim to Win over Christian Conservatives in Their Home State; Archaeologists Uncover Roman-Era Church Mosaic Along Israel National Trail; Wyoming Governor Signs Measure Prohibiting Abortion Pills
Lagging Behind 2,000 Years Later
Handling social issues is a problem for many Christians today. A woman’s place in society is such an issue. Here is what the Bible has to say about this matter.
Lent’s Labor: Practicing Silence – Part 3
“¡Silencio!” is our Lenten watchword. The silence to which we are called is practiced amid the rubble, as we listen for the faint cry of survivors from earth’s trauma and human atrocity.
Emerging Voices | Why Change Agents in the Church Are Essential
There can be little debate that religion is steadily declining in America. Rather than continuing with “business as usual,” churches need to boldly challenge preconceptions and activities for a different level of thinking.
March 17, 2023
Roman Aristocrat Unearthed in Ancient Cemetery that Could Show Britain’s Shift to Christianity, Anglo-Saxon Society; Va. Church Where George Washington Prayed Honors its Enslaved Builders; 100 Years Ago, this Church Was Built with Stones from the River (and more)
Lent’s Labor: Searching Darkness – Part 2
Scripture has a pronounced bias favoring “light” and opposing “darkness.” But there’s a minority report as well, where the Holy One is encountered in darkness.
Why Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives Matter
Diversity, equity and inclusion programs are under scrutiny in Florida and Texas, where their governors want to end these emphases. A recent episode of Real Time with Bill Maher on this topic prompted reflection on why DEI is important.
One in Four Holds Unfavorable View of Evangelical Protestants in U.S.
Evangelical Protestants received the highest percentage of unfavorable views from U.S. adults in a new Pew Research Center survey. A plurality of respondents expressed a neutral view toward each of the seven faith traditions surveyed.
March 16, 2023
Evangelicals Are the Most Beloved US Faith Group Among Evangelicals; and among the worst-rated by everybody else; Black, Evangelical and Torn; A Progressive College in the Northeast Has a Proposal for Unhappy New College Students
Finding Awe
We may think of “awe” as being completely overwhelmed, flabbergasted or awestruck by some amazing event. But awe is wider than that. And it is good for you.
Lenten Lectionary | I Shall Not Want?
One of the goals of the Lenten season is to purify our hearts and refocus our minds. This season should pull us away from the habits of entitlement (subtle or otherwise) that often characterize our daily lives.
Lent’s Labor: Making Space – Part 1
Any credible statement about God’s passionate love for the world must be spoken fully cognizant of the world’s passionate misery. The recognition of God’s solidarity in life’s ache is essential if we are to endure the many shapes and shades of loss.
March 15, 2023
In today’s curated news and analysis headlines: AR-15 Lapel Pins are More than Provocation: They’re Symbols of the Violence at the Heart of White Christian Nationalism; Hate Crimes See Another Increase, Data Says; Citing the Bible, Oklahoma Republicans Vote to Let Teachers Hit Kids with Disabilities (and more)
Are Social Justice and Philanthropy Reconcilable?
Can social justice and philanthropy be reconciled when wealthy donors have made their fortunes through an unjust system? A new report explores this question by looking at the top 10% of young donors who are seeking to practice social justice-oriented giving.
Emerging Voices | The Un-Baptist Spirit Within the Southern Baptist Convention
An un-Baptist spirit is permeating the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention. This spirit has a thirst for power and control at the expense of allowing local churches to live out God’s call for their congregation.
Wisdom Wherever You Find It | Nothing More to Say
“Silence can’t be misquoted.” These words from Bishop Larry Campbell elicited laughter from participants in a meeting of the Commission on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Here is why he is both right and wrong.
March 14, 2023
Trump vs. DeSantis: Florida Pastors Mull Conservative Issues; New York Church, Part of Tubman National Park, Will Open to Visitors This Year; Retired Virginia Prison Chaplain Recounts Life as a Guide to Condemned: ‘A Story I Needed to Tell’ (and more)