I’ve been tired, and I know I’m not alone in that. People are tired. Not inconvenienced. Not stressed but tired, bone tired as the seasoned saints used to say. Wars are waging in the Congo, Iran and Palestine while cable…
The moral side of redistricting
Virginia voters said yes. That is what makes this moment so revealing. In April, Virginians narrowly voted on and approved a constitutional amendment that would have allowed lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections….
Virginia church steps in to support Black student group at Mizzou
Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Va., announced Sunday it will financially support the Legion of Black Collegians after the University of Missouri ended designated funding for several affinity organizations amid federal scrutiny of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. During…
In conversation with Jim Somerville
For 18 years, Jim Somerville has done something many pastors talk about but far fewer actually attempt. He has led a historic congregation to change. This change isn’t merely cosmetic or programmatic but rather the kind that presses on identity…
Church gives away $1 million to stop evictions
Not every headline out of Washington, D.C., or Northern Virginia is about division, Donald Trump or American dysfunction. Every now and then, the light breaks through the legislation and press conferences. Just miles from the corridors of power, in Alexandria,…
In conversation with my grandmother
This wasn’t the In Conversation I thought I would sit down and write this week. I did not plan to interview my grandmother from a hospital chair. The room was quiet in the way hospital rooms often are — machines…
In conversation with Benjamin Boswell
Sixteen months ago, Benjamin Boswell was forced to leave Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C. “Being called to Myers Park Baptist Church was a dream,” Boswell told me in a recent conversation. “This was the church I always said,…
When pastors mistake theological maturity for spiritual maturity
A pastor colleague recently told me something I can’t seem to shake: “If I’m not on staff, pastoring or preaching, I don’t go to church on Sundays. I’m just not a pew person.” At first, it sounded like honesty. The…
The Black Church teaches us not to rush past Good Friday
On Good Friday, many of the white churches move quickly. They acknowledge the Cross, they sometimes name the injustice, and — almost instinctively — begin inching toward Easter, toward hope, toward resurrection, toward resolution. They quickly leave Friday and rush…
In conversation with Lisa Dunson, Alliance of Baptists president
The Alliance of Baptists has been in a season of discernment following the departure of its co-directors, a leadership transition denominational leaders say will be shaped by listening, trust and a renewed focus on racial justice within its congregations. In…
Letter to my mother, my pastor
Dear Momma, Every March the church pauses to name Baptist Women in Ministry Month. Churches host panels, women write articles, women fill pulpits and deliver sermons about the long road women have walked just to stand behind a pulpit as…
Meredith Miller calls the church to wonder
In May 2020, many pastors held their breath as they released statements and stumbled over how to respond to the murder of George Floyd. Meredith Miller responded with formation. Making her Instagram account public, Miller began to write about faith…