Recent Articles
Clergy Who Leave Christian Ministry Are Sending a Message
Realizing they cannot hide behind the pulpit, some clergy are looking for the exits at their churches. What message are they sending?
Public Education in the Wake of COVID-19
Public education has long been a petri dish through which society’s challenges, quirks, triumphs and conflicts have passed. To mitigate the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, many high schools adjusted their standards. Though well-intended, this has created new challenges.
U.S. Prison Population Decreases, Jail Population Increases
The U.S. prison population decreased from 2020 to 2021, while the jail population increased. Racial disparities remained, as the percentage of Blacks in both jails and prisons was higher than the percentage of the total Black population.
February 27, 2023
‘Christian Patriots’ are Flocking From Blue States to Idaho; What it Looks Like When Christian Nationalists Take Control of Local Government; The FBI’s Culture and Recruiting Have Long Favored Conservative Christianity (and more)
Under False Pretense
She is an immigrant. But aside from her struggle to speak English, she is like most of her neighbors in an upscale neighborhood in a sunny U.S. city. Her story is harrowing, and it raises many ethical questions.
Our Over-Burdened Planet
There are now over eight billion people on Earth, and we are using up nature’s limited resources faster than nature can replace them. There could be 10 billion in a few decades. What do we need to do to turn this around?
Look Back | Seeking True Repentance for Western Christians’ Colonialism
Christian faith and missions often were complicit. The fact that God used something terrible to bring about something good does not change the fact that colonialism generally brought misery.
February 24, 2023
Netflix’s ‘Waco: American Apocalypse’ Trailer Captures Fallout of David Koresh Cult Takedown; Finding Spirituality on Earth’s ‘Most Secular’ Continent; Rock Art as African History: What Religious Images Say About Identity, Survival and Change (and more)
Depression Pandemic: Its Effects Never Went Away
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was brave and wise enough to seek professional care. More of us should consider following Fetterman’s lead as depression remains a critical issue now three years into the pandemic caused by COVID-19.
Lenten Lectionary | Through the Wastelands
Places mentioned in the Gospels often enough are laden with greater significance than simply mapping a route. When Matthew tells us Jesus entered the wastelands east of the Jordan, it is more than his being in a solitary place.
Record Number of U.S. Adults Want Less Strict Abortion Laws
Neary half (46%) of all U.S. adults say they are dissatisfied with the nation’s abortion laws and want less strict regulations, according to a Gallup report. This is the highest level in polling history.
February 22, 2023
Southern Baptists Boot Saddleback Church for Having a Female Pastor; The Science Behind Why Conservatives are so Easily Triggered; Why Jimmy Carter’s Pastor Won’t Say ‘Goodbye’ to the Former President; Feds Fine Mormon Church for Illicitly Hiding $32 Billion Investment Fund Behind Shell (and more)
The Raceless Gospel Podcast Launches Lenten Series
The Raceless Gospel podcast provides listeners with a seven-episode Lenten series focused on the testing of Jesus. “Testing, Testing 1, 2, 3” offers a weekly meditation for the journey, beginning today.
Lenten Lectionary | Set Your Plow Deeper: An Ash Wednesday Meditation
“Set your plow deeper” was our congregation’s theme for Lent some years ago. It addresses issues caused by farmer at the same depth every year, a farmer in our congregation explained. Here’s how this advice relates to Lent.
10 Things About Church That Are Not Changing
While we are accustomed to constant changes in our culture, we tend to struggle a little more with changes in our faith communities. For those feeling unsettled by the pace of change, here are 10 things about the church that are not changing.
The Taproot of Humanity’s Harm
There is a clear and consistent answer to why atrocities against human lives continue to occur. The taproot out which this continuing evil grows is a process of dehumanization. And it is indeed a process.
By the Way | Requiem for a College
Trinity International University is “reimaging the future,” which has led to a decision about Trinity College, its residential, undergraduate program in Deerfield, Illinois. It will soon become a fully online program.
Wisdom Wherever You Find It | A Small Cemetery of the Heart
Death and dying are an inevitable part of life. We all experience loss and, deep down, we feel a sense of abandonment. We carry within ourselves a cemetery of the heart.
Rosewood: A 100-Year-Old Reminder of Lawlessness in America
From lynchings to mob violence waged against African American communities, America has a long and tragic history of suspending law and order when it comes to race. The town of Rosewood is a sad reminder.
How People of Faith Can Respond to the Earthquake in Syria, Turkey
Ten days after the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the voices of the thousands who remain buried under the rubble are becoming quiet. As the buried voices start fading away in silence, I wonder about our role in all this.
Why My Therapist is Wrong
A recent trip to my therapist ended with her making a statement that left me irritated. After further reflection, I felt mad about the assertion and told her this in our next session. Here is what she said – and why she is wrong.
February 20, 2023
Jimmy Carter, 39th US President, Enters Hospice Care at Home; Inside a Flint Pastor’s Unique Mission to Teach Black History; Georgia Lawmakers Want to Make West Hunter Street Baptist Church a National Historic Site (and more)
Sophia Said’s Interfaith Work Recognized by Arkansas Church
No sermon was preached at Second Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Sunday, February 12. Instead, an award was presented to a Muslim woman. Sophia Said received 2BCLR’s Brooks Hayes Award.
Holy See, Stockholm Environment Institute Produce ‘Guide to Caring for Our Planet’
A new guide on environmental protection is the result of a collaboration between science and spirituality. “Our Common Home,” was created by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Stockholm Environment Institute.
Look Back | Giving Up Our Obliviousness to Racism for Lent
It is fitting that Lent, a time for repentance and reckoning, begins smack dab in the middle of Black History Month. Let’s use this season to interrogate the places where we are still oblivious about our participation in racism.
February 17, 2023
World’s Oldest Hebrew Bible Could Fetch $50 Million at Auction; Kentucky High School Students Walk Out in Protest of Anti-LGBT Legislation; Hindus Only: How Religious Nationalism Has Spread Through India’s Villages (and more)
Who Is God? God Is Love
The Church of England is considering using gender-neutral language when referring to God in its liturgy. This offers an opportunity to consider the question, “Who is God?”
African American History Month Reminds Us of the Importance of Storytelling
Each year in February, we celebrate African American History month, which aids in displacing prejudices, stereotypes and myths of inferiority.
All-Time High in U.S. Dissatisfied With Gun Laws
Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults say they are dissatisfied with the nation’s current gun laws, according to a Gallup report. This is an all-time high in the two decades of polling this question.
January 16, 2023
White Racist Gets Life Sentence for Buffalo Market Massacre; Abortion is a Religious Belief, Montana Legislator Argues; Pastors’ Views: Sermons Written by ChatGPT Will Have No Soul (and more)