As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, our latest report, “Competing Visions of America at 250: Politics, Religion, and Identity,” surfaces a troubling signal for the future of our democracy — and it centers on the nation’s youngest citizens. Generation...
The old adage that “sticks and stones may break your bones but words can never hurt you” has been proved false yet again in an analysis by the media watchdog group Media Matters. Watching Fox News — and Tucker Carlson…
The birth story of Jesus has plenty to offer Christians during Christmastide — stunned shepherds, angelic visitations, mysterious visitors from the East, an inn with no room, and a manger. Even though there’s plenty to love, Christians ought to continue…
Five days before Christmas, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Sexual Abuse Task Force released an update on its work, right at the halfway mark in the 12-month timeline between its creation and its required report to the 2022 SBC annual meeting….
On Jan. 20, 2021, President Joe Biden became the first commander in chief to use the words “white supremacy” in an inaugural address. Naming “the cry of racial justice 400 years in the making” and its corollary, “a rise in…
Pro-golfer and two-time Masters Tournament winner Bubba Watson loves golf. He also is thankful for what God has done in his life. Those two passions come together in his new book, Up and Down. And, like finding just the right…
Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens; Bright copper kettles, and warm woolen mittens; Brown paper packages tied up with string; These are a few of my favorite things. Mark Wingfield used this song from The Sound of Music to…
Whatever future 2022 may hold, one thing is certain: Come the first Sunday in January, millions of United Methodists will renew their vows in a beloved tradition known as the Wesley Covenant Service. This year, however, the covenant service takes…
It’s not ideal or lifegiving for anyone to be forced to choose between buying groceries for their family or paying toward a student loan. As many prepare for 2022, we will again be faced with this predicament, because we have…
At the dawn of a new year, many churches are adopting new budgets and making plans for whatever will come in this third year of COVID-influenced ministry. There are lots of decisions to be made, and not always enough information…
In March 2020, my congregation had just begun to stabilize from the loss of about one-third of the congregation and staff after we voted to welcome LGBTQ believers into full membership. It had been a long, difficult and meaningful season…
Controversies involving sexuality, gender, religious exemptions from COVID-19 vaccines, and Critical Race Theory made for the most-read Baptist News Global opinion columns in 2021. Highly read pieces also included deep dives into the contradictions of the Reformed theology, race-based fissures…
It’s been several years since the huge oak on the property of First Church came crashing down into the empty parking lot one Saturday night. A blast of straight-line winds proved more than the 250-year-old icon could withstand. The tree…
