It may now seem surprising to many United Methodists, and even more Baptists, that for most of our histories in the United States, all Methodists and Baptists were regularly designated as evangelical denominations. The most important reason is that both...
We all watched with horror last week as white supremacists breeched the Capitol, leaving a pool of blood, death and destruction in their wake. As an African American, my first thought was simple, “White people can get away with anything…
Five weeks after the six white presidents of the Southern Baptist Convention’s seminaries ignited a firestorm of protest for their denunciation of Critical Race Theory, they met with a group of Black SBC pastors and didn’t back down. The result…
Over the last seven months, I’ve been accused of sowing hate and division with my social media posts. This summer, I lost a lifelong friend because of it. After George Floyd was killed, I began writing posts about racial justice,…
The Hymn Society has had its work cut out for it in the COVID-19 pandemic, trying to help music ministers, choirs, composers and others adjust to virtual worship. But 2021 is likely to be challenging, too, said J. Michael McMahon,…
History will report that on Jan. 6, 2021, two weeks before the end of Donald Trump’s term as the 45th president of the United States, Trump told thousands of his supporters gathered in Washington, D.C., to march to the U.S….
The Western Recorder, the second-oldest Baptist newspaper in America, will cease publication March 31. Once a flagship paper among a large network of state Baptist publications, the newspaper has fallen victim to the same trends afflicting newspapers and denominational communications…
“So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not…
Using a phrase like “rural church” to categorize a particular ministry demographic is about as helpful as suggesting all ice creams are singularly flavored. When doing so, we miss the rich texture of communities, stories and theologies of a given…
The events in our nation this week have disturbed me. On Wednesday, like countless others, I was shaken by watching a seditious riot take over the Capitol. I use the word “sedition” because the actions of those involved meet the…
Read our latest Letter to the Editor, written by Chris Chambers of Lebanon, Tenn., in response to a BNG opinion piece by Susan Shaw. Chambers says his support for Donald Trump is because of his Christian faith and he doesn’t…
I have had on my mind and heart the debacle that has been visited on Trump evangelicals: The “Chosen One” was “unchosen.” Donald Trump will be leaving office either by walking away or being escorted out of the White House….
A group of African American pastors, including three Baptists, urged Virginia lawmakers Jan. 7 to abolish the state’s death penalty, equating it to lynching and a declaration that Black lives do not matter. The ministers’ press conference, held on Zoom,…
