Social media was abuzz this week with reaction to Southern Baptist Convention leader Al Mohler appearing on a podcast with Christian nationalist Doug Wilson. The mere fact of them being in conversation is the most notable thing, because what they...
Never underestimate the power of words or a string of words. A news story about the Florida Board of Education — not a local school board but the state board — adopting new standards for teaching American history for children…
Texas officials have revived a highly criticized anti-immigrant practice of the Trump administration while claiming their approach is more humane. The Houston Chronicle reports that in recent weeks, Texas Department of Public Safety officers have broken up at least two…
In 2023, in the land of the free and the home of the unreported perks of Supreme Court justices, the American Culture War seems to find a new front to defend or invade every day or so. At least it…
When COVID-19 turned the world upside down in 2020, many U.S. churches followed government policies and switched to online services, while others met on a limited scale with social distancing and masks. A smaller group of churches opposed official mandates,…
Please submit transitions — including staff changes, ordinations, anniversaries or deaths — to Barbara Francis. This page will be updated bi-weekly. STAFF CHANGES Bill Boelte, to First Baptist Church, South Boston, Va., as pastor. Chris Boltin, to Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist…
Malcolm O. Tolbert had a long and varied career within Baptist religious circles, beginning as a pastor at the age of 18, missionary in Brazil, seminary professor and author of many books on the interpretation of Scripture. In 1952, Tobert…
Forget about politically motivated churches, practices and creeds. Instead, you can learn a lot about religion in North America by the popular books it publishes. I’ve worked in commercial religious publishing for most of my career and can tell you…
Zimbabwe used to be among Africa’s top five most educated nations in terms of literacy and basic education enrollment. Legacy Christian denominations that accompanied colonial subjection in the early 1900s provided the bulk of quality public education for 100 years….
It doesn’t seem like it was just a couple weeks ago Jason Aldean released a music video to expand on the lyrics of his now widely popular and equally controversial hit “Try That in a Small Town.” Nor does it…
Recently, a group of Muslim Americans issued a statement asserting that same-sex relations and being transgender are forbidden in Islam. They claim that there is “universal consensus” on the issue. As a Muslim ally to the LGBTQ community, I want to…
It’s been a rough couple of decades for belief in God, angels, Satan and other key spiritual principalities, new research shows. “Compared with 2001, belief in God and heaven is down the most (16 points each), while belief in hell…
According to data gathered in 2021, a couple is divorced in America every 46 seconds. This means two to three divorces happen during an average wedding vow recital (2 minutes), more than 156 divorces occur during an average romantic comedy…
