It took a couple of years, but Elizabeth Mangham Lott finally hit her bottom with doing online church by the end of January. “Y’all, this Zoom church stuff is crushing me today. I don’t wanna do it. And I don’t…
‘Pray-in’ draws attention to the problem of predatory lending
National religious leaders staged a virtual “pray-in” Feb. 22 to emphasize the power of prayer and Scripture in the effort to end predatory lending in the U.S. Members of the Faith and Credit Roundtable, a project of the Center for…
Focusing on the kingdom of God instead of empire can free white people from being so defensive, Meeks says at Baylor seminar on race and the white church
Whites must go beyond acknowledging their part in racism to recognizing how they have been traumatized by it, a noted racial healing advocate said during a three-day symposium on race at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary. “Part of the wound is…
Faith without ethics leave Christians and the church adrift, ethicist says
A faith uninformed by Christian ethics can leave individuals and churches spiritually and morally adrift and susceptible to extreme ideologies, David Gushee said during a Feb. 17 Baptist News Global webinar. “I am seeing a fundamentalist religion with so many…
Research documents slide in respect for pastors and belief in their influence
New research confirms what many pastors already know — that they are decreasingly respected and influential in U.S. society. “Pastors, for the most part, are peripheral and ornamental. Quaint, but not entirely necessary. Kind, but not wholly credible,” Barna senior…
Utah bill to end capital punishment stalls in committee
A bill that would end capital punishment in Utah stalled in a state legislative committee Feb. 14, leaving death penalty opponents saddened but determined to carry on their fight for abolition. House Bill 147 was voted down 5-6 during a…
Book to help kids with faith questions turns out to help parents too
A book initially conceived to nurture the religious curiosity of children came to add assurances for adults nervous about giving wrong answers or feeling they should be much more theologically proficient when talking with children. “So many grown-ups feel like…
Amid the dire situations forcing asylum seekers from Afghanistan and Latin America, LGBTQ persons face even more extreme danger
While the plight of many people unable to leave the Taliban’s grip in Afghanistan has been well-reported, there’s one group of people facing even more extreme persecution with fewer exit routes: LGBTQ asylum seekers. Recent reports from organizations tracking the…
In Black and Hispanic congregations, parishioners often turn to pastors for mental health issues, which in turn creates mental health stress for pastors
New research shows that pastors remain the go-to mental health providers for many members of Black and Hispanic churches in the United States. Congregants report this stems from belief that faith alone can heal emotional trauma, from stigma surrounding treatment…
BJC offers free downloadable report explaining January 6 in light of Christian nationalism
A new 63-page report takes a deep dive into the role of Christian nationalism in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and the ongoing, once-underground movement to overturn constitutional democracy in favor of government for and by…
Those who threatened HBCUs failed to shake these resilient institutions
Domestic terrorists who recently threatened to bomb nearly 20 historically Black colleges and universities utterly failed if their goal was to shake student commitment to their schools and to each other, institutional leaders said Feb. 8. “They are disappointed. They…
Immigrants help the economy in two ways, experts explain
Market-based appeals for allowing more migrants to legally live and work in the U.S. are critical to achieving economically beneficial immigration reform, a policy analyst said during a Feb. 7 webinar. And the pitch to get American companies and business…