This is the ninth in a BNG series of articles on Christianity and democracy that will lead toward the July 4 celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The series has been curated by Carol McEntyre, senior minister at First Baptist Church of...
Two days before Christmas, President Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 of the 40 inmates remaining on federal Death Row. The action follows an organized campaign by death penalty opponents — including some evangelicals — asking Biden to…
Christmas and New Year’s are fascinating seasons for scholars into temporal studies, the emerging academic field concerned with the ways humans understand time, author and cultural historian Alexis McCrossen said. “Holidays are special moments in time and special moments on…
When it comes to Christmas music, I prefer mine sacred and sung by an English university choir. I haven’t really been “into” popular Christmas music or pop stars’ Christmas records (sacred or secular) since I was a kid — with…
Some of the most enduring lessons of life emanate from our parents. As a child who was born and grew up in Jos, in the northern part of Nigeria, one of my childhood memories was the annual visit with my…
Three United Methodists were killed Dec. 15 when a United Methodist Church in northeast Nigeria was attacked allegedly by supporters of the breakaway Global Methodist Church. A few days prior to the attack, a dissident organization that has promoted the…
Four score and seven years ago. Call me Ishmael. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Opening lines at their best can capture your attention….
I knew postpartum depression was coming for me. The darkness of depression has companioned me during various seasons of my life, and I knew my hormones weren’t going to give me a break after having a baby. It lasted for…
Nations with governments highly repressive of certain religious groups usually have societies equally antagonistic toward religious minorities, new research shows. “Government restrictions and social hostilities tend to go hand in hand,” Pew Research Center says in its latest report on…
During my Ph.D. program, I found myself drowning in the deepest depression of my life — and that’s saying a lot. In college, a misunderstanding with a professor had prompted me to raise my dorm window and think very seriously…
A few weeks ago, I woke up to a text message saying it had snowed overnight, despite there having been no measurable snowfall in North Carolina since 2022 nor any forecasts of snow for that morning. Intrigued, I looked out…
A Republican-controlled subcommittee of the U.S. House Oversight Committee has unleashed an attack on the peaceful transfer of power in federal government. Led by Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R.-Ga., this subcommittee conducted its own investigation of the January 6 insurrection at…
A new White House strategy for combating anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hatred has received differing reactions from U.S. faith groups and left some wondering if the plan will survive the incoming Trump administration. Released Dec. 12, the 67-page blueprint outlines federal,…
