America’s 250th birthday prompted researchers at Navigator to ask Americans how they define America, patriotism and what our country should aspire to. The result was 82% of Americans across all generations saying they believe freedom is an extremely important value,...
“We don’t live in Ukraine, but we do,” said our minister, Glenn Pettiford, as he began a pastoral prayer on a recent Lenten Sunday morning. His words have stayed in my head on the way to Gethsemane and Golgotha 2022,…
Activists seeking to abolish the death penalty in Ohio took their case to the court of public opinion April 7 with virtual testimony from the family and friends of homicide victims about the immorality and futility of capital punishment. “Even…
The number of church closures continues to rise. According to a study published by Lifeway Research last May, about 4,500 churches closed their doors in 2019 while only 3,000 churches were started. This is a shift from 2014 when Lifeway…
In politics, “framing” is the attempt to alter reality by selecting words, slogans and tropes that convince the public to see the other side in a certain negative way. As Robert Entman explains, “To frame is to select some aspects of a perceived…
Once again, I’m so grateful I live in Oregon. Across conservative states, legislators are interfering with what’s taught in K-12, colleges, universities and workplaces. They’ve targeted content that addresses issues of race, gender and sexuality, with a special emphasis on…
High-profile Christian leaders issued a plea to the American church April 7 to speak out against the ongoing ReAwaken America tour and the Christian nationalist, anti-democratic, pro-violence and Q-Anon-inspired ideology it is spreading. The tour led by Eric Trump, Michael…
Dear Willy, We’re sorry. We know we don’t know each other but we’re your brothers in Christ. As former Southern Baptists, we’re deeply sorry about how you have been treated over the past few days. We don’t understand the complexities…
Letter to the Editor April 7, 2022 Dear Editor: Evangelicals are going to have a lot of explaining to do when we meet the Heavenly Father. We have gotten so entangled in the anti-abortion movement, and subsequently in the Republican…
It took less than 24 hours to fill the gap left when Florida pastor Willy Rice pulled out of the race for Southern Baptist Convention president April 6. The three-way race became a two-way race and now once again is…
On the heels of a global pandemic and amid its own multi-faceted schism, the Southern Baptist Convention is experiencing something few could have predicted: Financial gifts to the SBC for the 2021-2022 fiscal year are up — way up. The…
“I’m not actually in the line, sir,” he said with a smile framed beautifully on the topside by a well-trimmed, white mustache that matched exactly in tone and texture his full, snowy head of hair above. “I’m just waiting on…
Immigrant rights groups continue to praise a White House and Centers for Disease Control decision to end Title 42, the anti-COVID health provision used to conduct mass deportations of asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. The American public, on the…
