After being arrested in Tehran, the capital of Iran, by the Islamic Republic’s morality police, Mahsa Amini died in police custody after allegedly suffering multiple blows to the head. Amini had been arrested for wearing her hijab improperly. Wearing a…
Christians could be a distinct minority in America by 2070
If current trends continue, Christians will become a distinct minority in America and the “nones” will make up more than half the population by 2070. “Nones” are those people who when asked their religious affiliation reply, “none,” although most are…
These Christians are leaving behind the church, but not their faith
In their 2015 book Church Refugees, Josh Packard and Ashleigh Hope discuss a demographic of people they call the “dechurched” or the “dones.” This group of Christians consists of people of faith who want to maintain their spiritual lives but…
Why Bathsheba is not an adulteress
Growing up in the church, I have heard the 2 Samuel narrative of Bathsheba and David many times. Often, I have heard this narrative retold by preachers who believe Bathsheba is a dangerous woman and who utilize this narrative as…
Queer Christian artist Semler wants to attend the Dove Awards as somebody’s plus-one
With their album The Preacher’s Kid, Semler was the first openly queer Christian artist to climb to No. 1 album on the Christian music charts just last year. Within the same year, Semler released a second No. 1 album titled…
Vaccine hesitancy is not a matter of doctrine, but for some it remains a matter of faith
One-fifth of the United States population remains unvaccinated against COVID-19, and one-third are not fully vaccinated. The gap between the vaccinated and unvaccinated remains for much the same reason that has been true from the beginning: Those least likely to…
What transactional sexuality could teach us about Matt Chandler’s odd leave of absence and confession
Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church north of Dallas, has recently taken an indefinite leave of absence after exchanging direct messages on Instagram with a woman who is not his wife. Although he states that the messages were not…
There’s a spiritual side to food
“When I tried it with butter, everything changed!” — How Food Brings Us Together Recently on Tik Tok, this interview of a kid named Tariq talking about how much he loves corn has gone viral. He’s even gotten his own…
How Hagar shows us the meaning of divine motherhood
When thinking about the importance of motherhood in the Bible, many readers can name a few women who mothered prominent sons throughout Israelite and Jewish history. Women like Mary or Sarah, whose stories are well-known in Sunday school classes and…