Reparations for America’s history of slavery must begin with recognition of human dignity, according to Andrew Delbanco, Alexander Hamilton Professor of American Studies at Columbia University. Delbanco delivered this year’s Jefferson Lecture sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities,…
What is the cost of the church’s failure in ‘Explaining Jesus’ to its members?
In his 2018 song “Explaining Jesus” Jordy Searcy opens the floor to a solemn and honest discussion about evangelical church life. He begins the song with lyrics that acknowledge some gay believers’ feelings of inadequacy when they consider their relationship…
Pedophilia at Kanakuk: Power, lies and evangelical values that cover up abuse
Sometimes ministers and church volunteers make mistakes. Usually, these can be corrected, and the adults who made them can learn how to be better and continue their ministry. As many evangelicals proudly assert, forgiveness and reconciliation are important in the…
Interpreting the recent dramatic decrease in American teen pregnancy rates
Ryan Burge — pastor, author and statistician — frequently shares intriguing research data on his Twitter account. On Nov. 19, Burge tweeted a graph showing the dramatic decrease in the amount of recorded U.S. teen pregnancies with the caption, “Can…
The story of Tamar and the epidemic of sexual violence in evangelical churches
Susan Shaw recently wrote an article for BNG titled “The Abusers in the Pews,” discussing how sexual violence runs rampant in Christian churches. She explained that churches rarely actively engage in the work needed to achieve gender justice, perpetuating the…
A year in review: An informal survey of 2022 pop-culture highlights for BNG readers
It’s that time of year once again when everyone makes lists of their favorite things from the past year. But the year 2022 has been long. With the world gradually attempting to return to a somewhat-normal, somewhat-forever-changed state after the…
Perhaps your grief will not ‘ruin’ Christmas
We often perceive the holidays as a time of togetherness and joy, where we reunite with families and enjoy the presence of each other. However, what we do not talk about is the grief that often coincides with the Christmas…
New Food and Faith course at Wingate University has college students gardening and learning to cook as they learn about religions
New to Wingate University’s religion department is a course titled Food and Faith, a class that takes freshmen through the basics of religious eating practices, discusses the ethics of food in popular culture and even incorporates some instruction time in…
Ten years after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Americans remain worried yet divided on the issue of gun violence
It’s been 10 years since 20 first graders and six adults were killed during a tragic attack by a gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School. News of the shooting shocked the nation. The event was one of the deadliest school…