For 25 years, a Baptist congregation in Brooklyn, N.Y., staged a theatrical production exposing the trans-Atlantic slave trade in all-too tragic and graphic detail. When the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the annual production of “The MAAFA: A Healing Journey,” St. Paul…
New surveys connect the dots between politics, race, religion and vaccination
Recent surveys of adult Americans may connect the dots between the role of politics, race and religion and attitudes about the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccines. A study by Pew Research Center examined respondents’ intentions to get vaccinated, while a report…
Remember that time you were teaching Sunday school on Zoom and a cat entered the screen?
Moving from in-person to virtual spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted engagement and outreach for many churches, but the transition came with a variety of growing pains, especially around technology and online etiquette. And the challenges were experienced by…
Author of Eugene Peterson biography was one of many shaped by America’s pastor
Some of Winn Collier’s most cherished moments with the late Eugene Peterson include sitting quietly with the pastor, author and translator of The Message Bible in his Montana home overlooking Flathead Lake and the Mission Mountains in the distance. “When…
World religious leaders remember Shahbaz Bhatti as martyr 10 years later
World religious leaders, policymakers and human rights activists gathered virtually March 2 to mark the 10-year anniversary of the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, the Pakistani Christian politician targeted by the Taliban for championing religious freedom. His killers never were prosecuted….
New study finds affirmation of Black church experience even as attendance declines
A growing number of African Americans say that understanding the Black experience requires an appreciation of the role of the church in Black lives, new research shows. But the same study also uncovered a drop in interest among Blacks in…
Christian nationalism deeply embedded into American life, Tyler warns
Christian nationalism has seeped so deeply into the fabric of American religious and political life that arguing with its adherents is frustrating and unproductive, according to Amanda Tyler, executive director of BJC. Tyler spoke during a Feb. 26 webinar titled…
Diverse religious coalition urges Congress to finalize the Equal Rights Amendment
Religious groups are joining forces to breathe life into the Equal Rights Amendment and to push back against conservative white evangelicals opposed to granting women full legal protections under the U.S. Constitution. About 50 Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and…
She’s Gen-Z, became leery of the church but practices faith with fitness
Tia Howell didn’t invent the idea that mind, body and spirit are intimately connected, but the 24-year-old personal fitness coach in Mount Holly, N.C., lives it as she would a calling. She’s also among one of the fastest-growing groups in…