Comingling faith and football has been a feature of the NFL experience for decades, but this year’s Super Bowl included something different. A group calling itself He Gets Us tweeted: “On February 12, the world’s biggest influencer is coming to…
Spurred on by conservatives’ fears, Tennessee turns down federal funds to fight HIV/AIDS
June 27 is National HIV Testing Day, but beginning June 1, testing and treating HIV/AIDS in Tennessee will become more challenging for residents. Gov. Bill Lee has rejected a multi-million-dollar federal grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, a…
Reverend Roboto: Artificial intelligence and pastoral care
“Write a sermon on this week’s lectionary text.” “Write a Country and Western song about Job.” “Write a prayer for Reddit.” “Write a Bible song about ducks.” “Add a prayer to go with that sermon.” “Write a worship song about…
Upcoming Supreme Court decision could take more native children off the reservation
This June, the United States Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling that could determine the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act. This 1978 law governs the adoption process for indigenous children, and its dismantling could have ruinous…
Winter solstice finding new favor as a spiritual practice
Winter in Scotland is cold and dark. The sun struggles to scrape together seven hours of daylight, and each day travels a little lower across the gray sky. For the emerging agrarian societies of pre-history, making spiritual sense of the…
What The Atlanta Opera and theater companies might teach the church about post-COVID adaptation
“The show must go on” was the mantra of many performance organizations forced to become even more creative during the COVID pandemic. Operas moved outside, and bassoonists took their bows online. Churches followed suit and pivoted to streaming worship services…
Fetterman-Oz Senate debate brought attention to auditory processing disorder; here’s what you need to know
Prior to the 2022 Pennsylvania Senate debate between John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz, many Americans never had heard of auditory processing disorder, known as APD for short. Now the disability is front and center in a race that may determine…
What churches should know — and do — about a homelessness problem you likely didn’t know about
When it comes to college, “getting in is only half the battle,” according to Anthony Abraham Jack, professor at the Harvard School of Education. Elsewhere he has said: “Before all else, colleges must meet students’ basic needs.” Unfortunately, the nation’s…