Much has been written about the challenges churches faced in maintaining corporate worship during the pandemic, but little has been reported on the changes brought about in religious education. Yet a new national study from Hartford Institute for Religion Research…
The Supreme Court’s politicized decision on abortion will do nothing to help churches thrive
As if the American church isn’t divided enough, it appears we’re about to roll back the clock 50 years on abortion rights and throw more jet fuel on the culture war bonfires consuming our congregations. For some churches and pastors,…
Unanimous Supreme Court rules against Boston in Christian flag case
The City of Boston so clearly violated U.S. law on religious liberty that a normally divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously against the city May 2. Given the tense nature of debate about the meaning of religious freedom amid the…
In an unusual church parking lot dispute, federal court sides with the church and tells the city to pay up for its parking violation
Churches battling cities over parking is a tale as old as time. But in the seaside town of St. Pete Beach, Fla., an entirely different version of a parking lot battle has played out, this time with the city ordered…
What makes for great preaching?
What makes for great preaching? I’m increasingly coming to believe beauty is in the eye of the beholder — or hearer, in this case. Here are a few things I’ve learned with the “wisdom” of age: There are a lot…
Is Texas megachurch’s new staff hire a sign of things to come?
A Texas megachurch has created a new staff position that, while perhaps the first of its kind for a Baptist church, could be a sign of things to come in the effort to foster a “biblical worldview.” Prestonwood Baptist Church…
What Christians singing on an airplane and a coach praying on the 50-yard line have in common
There’s a common thread in two seemingly unrelated cases in the news right now: The Christians singing worship songs on a commercial airline flight and the former high school football coach in Washington State who insisted on holding public prayers…
In liberated areas of Ukraine, church volunteers help sweep for mines and bury the dead
As the Russian assault on Ukraine passed the two-month mark yesterday, the humanitarian work involving churches across the country continued unabated. But church volunteers are being called upon to do things no Bible study lesson could have prepared them to…
With annual meeting attendance on the rise again, SBC must switch locations for 2023
The Southern Baptist Convention has outgrown its meeting space for 2023. In a move reminiscent of days of controversy in the 1980s and 1990s, attendance at SBC annual meetings has been on the rise since 2018 — after settling down…
Despite how politicians vote, bipartisan majorities of Americans favor several key environmental initiatives
While climate change initiatives often carry the sound bites of partisan politics, a bipartisan majority of Americans favor key proposals to curb greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. However, as with other hot social and scientific issues —…
Americans must ‘change the narrative’ on public schools, panelists urge
Concerned Americans — including people of faith — must “change the narrative of how things are going” in the debate over public education, according to a veteran educator who recently resigned as superintendent of a top-rated Texas school district. “Let’s…
The tragic tale of a sexual abuse case, a deacon ordination and the quest for control of the Southern Baptist Convention
We have written three drafts of a news story you’re not going to see published. Instead, I’m going to use this analysis column to explain how exceedingly complicated it is to address the challenges of sexual abuse and politics in…