By Molly T. Marshall I attended Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church in Kansas City, Mo., this past Sunday. It is a historic African-American church, ably led by Dr. Wallace S. Hartsfield II, scholar of Hebrew Bible. It is a teaching church…
God isn’t fooled
After listening to multiple responses from candidates for president and television commentators to the shooting that occurred at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, it seems like most of them have an aversion to calling the shooting solely a racist incident….
Dylann Roof and the sound of silence
Fools said I, You do not know Silence like a cancer grows. The slaughter of nine innocent people gathered for prayer at a historic black church in Charleston, S.C., was horrific, deplorable, sickening, cruel and heartless. It was not senseless.
Some new metrics, please
By Doyle Sager An old Sunday school register hangs on the wall in my church office. Throughout my childhood, this is where my home church, Maple Grove Baptist, faithfully recorded important church metrics each Sunday: Number on the roll; attendance…
The ISIS crisis
The capacity of ISIS to enthrall and recruit youth and young adults from Western democratic countries has left many baffled. It is such a counterpoint to the spirit of the mass demonstrations that characterized the Arab Spring, which now seems…
The Mother Emanuel Nine and the Parable of the Sower and the Soils
South Carolina became my adopted state 30 years ago. Understanding and appreciating its culture is a continual journey of social and religious understanding. The story of the Emanuel Nine provides a new dimension of learning. This tragic incident is personal…
Disappointed with church
By Kyle Henderson My son was hired for a temporary job. It is a great job and great opportunity, but it will only last two months. He has been looking for a while, so we were excited. He had only…
Something inside
On Thursday morning, 50 of us are jammed into a Sunday school room singing chants. Most of the “us” are scholars — elementary school students — for Freedom School. This is the first day of six weeks that will be…
Does God hate our sympathy? The AME massacre and social media
In the wake of the AME massacre in Charleston, S.C., I’m beginning to wonder if sympathy is a sin. Everywhere I turn I hear sympathy: “Our hearts go out to the victims and their families” or “Lord, have mercy!”
Tragedy of abuse is manifest in ‘Love & Mercy’
Brian Wilson has a tortured soul. Much of his life had abuse from one source or another. His greatest tormentor was his father, Murry. The backdrop of an abusive father informs Love & Mercy, a powerful biopic on the life…
A final commentary on the day’s news
By David Gushee Follow David: @dpgushee This is my last regular column for Baptist News Global. Beginning July 1, I will take up an offer from Religion News Service to become one of their 12 regular bloggers/columnists. I offer reflections on…
How Long, O Lord?
“How Long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?” the Psalmist asks. African Americans ask this question in the wake of the murder of nine Christians at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina during a Wednesday…