Churches must boldly support racial, gender and LGBTQ equality in every aspect of ministry by accepting the inherently and radically political message of the gospel, Jacqui Lewis said during a June 18 virtual gathering hosted by Baptist Joint Committee for…
What should pastors do if their members helped incite the Capitol riots?
In the wake of the recent attack on the United States Capitol by insurrectionists, American members of the clergy should take time to reflect on their responsibility not only as religious leaders but as civic leaders. Ministers might not, and…
If we don’t value our denominational colleges, do we value their faculty?
The current pandemic places great challenges on many facets of American religious life, perhaps none greater than small denominationally affiliated colleges and universities, many of which already were struggling financially well before the current crisis. While these challenges are institutionally…
This will be on the test: What’s the difference between ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’ education?
“Secularism” often functions as a catch-all bugaboo for religious circles in the United States, and concerns that culture is becoming increasingly secular raise fears among American Christians in particular. In the case of public education, there remains a myth that…
Mark Dever says in-person worship is essential to biblical Christianity
While national attention has been focused on the West Coast battle between pastor John MacArthur and Los Angeles County over public health restrictions, a new challenge has emerged on the East Coast by another prominent Calvinist pastor, Mark Dever. Only…
Drinking our way through the pandemic and out of temperance
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the ways in which Americans relate to alcohol, and it might be threatening the legacy of America’s temperance movement. A recent report from NPR noted that alcohol sales have increased dramatically since the start of…
Do Southern Baptists need a rebranding?
In the midst of a turbulent summer of police violence against Black Americans, the pressure for institutional fixtures of American society to examine the legacies of their names never has been greater. Now the Southern Baptist Convention, according to the…
Understanding the gray/green divide in American church life
While electoral maps in the United States are often colored red and blue, aerial imagery of the country suggests that the real colors of our political spectrum are gray and green. From the gray, concrete landscapes of urban America to…
Why are Christians so susceptible to conspiracy?
The internet age has rapidly intensified the ability for conspiracy theories to spread across large populations of people, but why are Christians so susceptible to conspiratorial thought? Increasingly these grand narratives regarding the alleged machinations of nefarious figures are making…