“I would rather die upon yonder gallows than to live in slavery.” Sam Sharpe wrote these words in a letter to the British Parliament from his jail cell in Jamaica. Sharpe, a Baptist deacon and lay preacher, faced execution for…
What you’re really giving to when you respond to a ‘Bible shortage’ in prisons
’Tis the season for giving — and making year-end contributions to charity. No doubt your mailbox and inbox are inundated with requests for donations this time of year. One such appeal from Prison Fellowship Ministries alerts recipients that Bibles are…
How churches can participate in the Indigenous Land Back movement and why they should
In 1777, Cherokee statesman Kaiyahtehee, also known as “Old Tassel,” arrived at Fort Henry near the Long Island in the Holston River to negotiate a treaty with commissioners from the state of North Carolina. The treaty would give America land…
What would happen if clergy unionized?
From the successful unionization of Starbucks baristas in Buffalo to striking actors and writers in Hollywood, support for labor unions is on the rise in a post-pandemic world. A Gallup poll from August reported 67% of Americans approve of unions…
How do you put faith on display in a museum? Britain’s Faith Museum gives it a go
Spanning more than 6,000 years, from Neolithic stone circles to the early Christianity of Roman soldiers, from Medieval monasteries to Baptist beginnings, from Darwinism to the influx of immigrants from across the Commonwealth, the history of faith in the United…
Oxford names Anthony Reddie first professor of Black Theology
In a historic move, the University of Oxford has appointed its first professor of Black Theology, Anthony Reddie. The director of the Oxford Center for Religion and Culture at Regent’s Park College, which also houses the Center for Baptist Studies,…
Creator and cast of ‘Reservation Dogs’ support Truth and Healing Commission
One of modern television’s most beloved series came to a conclusion Sept. 27 when a group of Native American teenagers, once determined to leave the Muscogee reservation for California, decided to stay. In three seasons, Reservation Dogs acquired a devoted…
Orange Shirt Day calls attention to the horrors of native boarding schools
When Phyllis Webstad was 6, her grandmother took her to town to buy a new outfit for the first day of school. “I chose a shiny new orange shirt. It was bright and exciting, just how I felt about going…
As the House of Ni’isjoohl Pole returns to native lands, museums and missions agencies wrestle with their history of collecting artifacts
After nearly 100 years in captivity, a long-lost member of Nisga’a Nation in northern British Columbia, Canada, is finally heading home. The House of Ni’isjoohl Pole, a 36-foot-tall totem pole carved from a red cedar tree, has been on display…
A surprising window into Black Jesus
Architect and art historian Hadley Arnold knew she was in for some surprises when she began transforming an 1830 Rhode Island church into a second home; but she certainly didn’t expect to discover one of America’s most significant works of…
Pastor’s Wife Barbie
Ladies, don’t take your children to see the new Barbie movie. Take your mom. Take your girlfriends. Take a flask. Take the wife of your pastor. Because if there’s one woman who, more than any other, is still expected to…
America isn’t the only one with a declaration of independence
Over the July 4 weekend, hundreds of museum-goers waited in line several hours to get a glimpse of one of the Western world’s foundational political documents. The fragile sheet, written in an elegant hand, tells the story of a people…