The rise of Trumpism in U.S. churches and denominations is accelerating Americans’ disconnection from faith communities and leaving many bewildered and grief-stricken, according to the author of a new book about the psychology and hope of religious trauma. Leaving church…
As joblessness rocks South Africa, fake pastor diplomas are in demand
Chuggy’s dim bedroom has a tiny table, copies of “important documents” and what he calls his “cash tools.” They are a Lenovo laptop, laminator, printer, forgery stamps and boxes of blank paper. He works from the underworld, printing fake theology…
Why breaking up is so hard to do for United Methodists: Connectionalism
Why is it so hard for dissident church units to leave the 12-million-member worldwide United Methodist Church? The ties that bind United Methodists together are contained in one arcane word: “connectionalism.” The concept of connectionalism was confirmed May 9 when…
Oklahoma legislators say life begins at ‘fertilization’
Oklahoma legislators appear to know the exact answer to a question that has vexed doctors and theologians for centuries: When does life begin? According to a controversial bill adopted by the Oklahoma Legislature May 19, life begins at fertilization. “If…
Baptists in Ukraine continue their humanitarian work amid devastation
Baptist church planters and their congregations in Ukraine have been at the forefront of providing physical and spiritual ministry to Ukrainians displaced, surrounded or occupied by invading Russian forces. “A great number of Christian churches and humanitarian organizations from around…
Louisville police training quoted Bible verse to say officers are God’s agents of wrath
The police department that wrongly shot Breonna Taylor dead in her own apartment in 2020 had trained its officers just three years earlier that they are avengers who carry out “God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” New reporting by the Louisville,…
Transitions for the week of 5-20-22
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Jennifer Campbell, to First Baptist Church, Washington, D.C., as minister to youth and families. Casey Carlton, to Blackwood…
‘It’s still the economy, stupid’
Think what you will about the raging culture wars, but that’s not the major driver of public opinion today any more than it was when Bill Clinton first ran for president in 1992. That’s when Clinton campaign analyst James Carville…
Pennsylvania Baptist church licenses transgender man for ministry
A recent lay ministry licensing ceremony capped a multi-year ordeal for Joel Dugan, a 63-year-old transgender man who overcame the rejection of a Baptist association to live into his calling to serve his church and the LGBTQ community. The feeling…
Buffalo massacre is more evidence of white Christian nationalism, sociologists say
The May 14 grocery store massacre in Buffalo, N.Y., was a demonstration of how white Christian nationalist ideology energizes all kinds of violence, two sociologists said during a webinar hosted by the group Christians Against Christian Nationalism. Samuel Perry and…
Displaced by the war in Ukraine, some African students battle to continue their education in Germany
Three months after Russian soldiers invaded and unleashed war in Ukraine, some displaced African students determined to continue with their educations are finding it difficult to gain residence permits in European countries like Germany. This is happening against the backdrop…
Does the Johnson Amendment have any teeth left?
Donald Trump failed to “totally destroy” the Johnson Amendment as he promised evangelical Christian supporters, but a current case may demonstrate whether the no-politicking policy for tax-exempt organizations has any teeth left. The Johnson Amendment is a 1954 law that…