Recent Articles
Can I Get a Witness?
A trip to a movie theater to watch whatever was playing next led me and a friend to view the film “Devotion.” One scene was powerful and impactful, leading me to reflect on the importance of having people in our lives who support and encourage us.
When We Lose Our Moral Compasses, We Lose Our Way
Community schools and houses of faith are two key locations where we learn how to live in community with others. Teachers and faith leaders serve as moral compasses, but tragically these professions are seeing an exodus.
How We Can Help ‘Spare’ Children
Prince Harry’s autobiography is making international headlines and it quickly reached the top of the best sellers’ list. Despite my lack of curiosity about the British monarchy, the book’s title caught my attention and raises an important issue.
January 25, 2023
How Today’s Parents Say Their Approach to Parenting Does – or Doesn’t – Match Their Own; ‘Moment of Silence’ Bill in Nebraska Legislature Spurs Debate on Prayer in Schools; Baptisms Turn Deadly with South African Floods (and more)
Politicizing Creation Care Damages Both Nature and Witness
Protecting natural resources was an integral part of my youthful experiences with the great outdoors. There was nothing remotely political about our orientation; saving souls and saving the planet didn’t seem at odds.
Good Faith Advocates’ Monthly Calls Begin February 2
The first Good Faith Advocates meeting will be Thursday, February 2, featuring MSNBC political analyst and author Matthew Dowd. The first advocates’ monthly meeting is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Many White Christians in U.S. See Immigrants as a Threat
White Christians in the U.S. are the most likely faith group to see immigrants as a threat to the nation’s customs and values, according to a new report. They’re also the most likely group to affirm the replacement theory.
January 24, 2023
Demonic Politics: The Rise of Spirit Warriors on the Christian Right; Another Church Shutters in NC. What Others Must Do to Survive.; On Migrants and Immigration: What Are We Afraid Of? (and more)
‘Becoming Human’ Offers Breath of Fresh Air on Race, Racism
‘Becoming Human: The Holy Spirit and the Rhetoric of Race,’ the latest book by Luke Powery of Duke Divinity School, offers breath of fresh air for churches and religious institutions that no longer want to treat race as a taboo topic.
Why Churches Need More Afternoon Services
As a child, I hated getting up early to go and sit in a humid sanctuary packed with members so there was only room for the Holy Ghost to move. As I grow older, my perspective changes. Here is why.
A Brief History of the U.S. Debt Ceiling
The U.S. has reached the limit for the amount of money it is authorized to borrow, with the Treasury Department taking extraordinary measures to avoid the nation defaulting on its debt. Here is a brief history of the debt limit.
January 23, 2023
Faith Leaders and Organizers Unite on Reproductive Freedom for Roe’s 50th Anniversary; How the Catholic Church Helped Shape the Anti-Abortion Movement in America; Whitehead and Perry: White Christian Nationalism Isn’t Pro-Life. It’s Pro-Order; Science Won’t Ever Make Philosophy or Religion Obsolete; (and more)
Lincoln Lessons: Creating Art, Telling Stories
Reed Prescott is an award-winning artist, living and working next to the General Store in Lincoln, Vermont. I visit to his workshop this week, visiting with him about his life and work.
People of Good Faith: Demetrius Sadler
Demetrius Sadler is Good Faith Media’s Ernest C. Hynds Jr. intern for the spring 2023 semester. He is a recent graduate of the University of Rochester, holding a degree in digital media studies and audio engineering.
Few U.S. Adults Encounter Chaplains Outside Hospitals, Most Report Positive Interactions
A minority of U.S. adults report having an interaction with a chaplain. A strong majority of those who do describe the encounter in positive terms. These are two findings from a recent Gallup report.
January 20, 2023
Evangelical Leaders are ‘Disloyal,’ Trump says. His Real Worry is Broader.; Evangelical Christians Represented Significant Faction of Capital Rioters in Brazil; US Professor Sues University Over Prophet Muhammad Image Row (and more)
“Protect the Children” and the Sanctity of Drag Queens
Proposed legislation would make it illegal for drag events to occur in public spaces, stating that they are “adult, sexually explicit content” unsuitable for minors to view – no exceptions. This is problematic, and it isn’t about “protecting the children.”
Demetrius Sadler Serving as GFM’s Spring 2023 Intern
Demetrius Sadler is Good Faith Media’s Ernest C. Hynds Jr. intern for the spring 2023 semester. A recent graduate of the University of Rochester, he holds a degree in digital media studies and audio engineering.
Wisdom Wherever You Find It: Say Something
My mother-in-law had a wide smile, a set of very expressive eyebrows and no patience for whining. Her response to empty complaints was frequently voiced, and it remains sound wisdom today.
January 19, 2023
Christianity Today Columnist: Anti-Liberalism in America is a Delusion of ‘Freedom’ That Will Only Lead to Violence; The Christian Right’s Mounting Attacks on Trans Youth; The Abuse of Religion to Foster Extremism is a Universal Phenomenon (and more)
Diggin’ It – for Real
I often highlight recent archaeological discoveries in this column. Have you ever wanted to be one of those folks who do the actual digging? Here’s your best chance ever.
Why We Have More to Worry About Than COVID-19
The sharp rise in RSV cases during the past two years, along with the seasonal cases of flu and cold, has revealed that we need a more pragmatic, and neighborly, approach to disease management. Here are four practical actions.
Nurses Top U.S. List of Most Ethical Professionals, Clergy Ratings Drop Again
Nurses remain the most ethical and honest professionals according to U.S. adults in Gallup’s annual survey on perceptions of various career fields. No other professions had more than 10% of all adults rate their honest and ethics as very high.
January 18, 2023
Following MLK’s Footsteps Means Resisting Christian Nationalism; The Pastor of Dallas’s First Baptist Church on W.A. Criswell, Donald Trump, and God Himself; Black, LGBTQ, and Religious Groups Ask Biden to Drop the National Prayer Breakfast; A Historic Meeting of Orthodox Christian Scholars Confronts Divisions and War (and more)
Today Is the National Day of Racial Healing
January 17 is the National Day of Racial Healing. It is part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation effort, a national endeavor that is community-based and hopes to bring about transformational change.
Don’t Scapegoat Your Minister
Every pastor hears it: Just do what one of your predecessors did a few decades ago and all will be well within congregational life. This is not the truth, and it is harmful to congregations and their current leaders.
New Year, New Resolve
“New Year, New You” advertisements have filled my social media feeds. It’s easy to critique resolutions, but maybe the idea of adopting resolves is an opportunity to reflect on how we use our time and spend our days.
January 17, 2023
Biden Becomes the First Sitting President to Deliver a Sunday Sermon at MLK’s Church; The Kind of Revolution that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Envisioned; Deaths of Despair May be Driven by Loss of Religion, Paper Says (and more)
Reconsidering the Truths We Hold
The truths set forth by the authors of America’s Declaration of Independence authors are twofold. First, all ‘men’ are equal. Second, these equal ‘men’ were endowed by God with unalienable rights. Let’s revisit and reconsider these truths.
Following the Lead of a ‘Transformed Nonconformist’
King’s work and witness was, and is, celebrated because he was a “transformed nonconformist.” And while King is rightly praised as a civil rights icon, his message of peace, nonviolence and social justice was delivered mainly to congregations.