At the turning of the year, religion writers and pundits reflect on the stories and conversations that shaped us and look forward to the conversations ahead. So far, Baptist News Global has shared a piece about how content creators shaped these conversations across a…
Counting your blessings instead of sheep
“Have you not heard anything I’ve said in the last four weeks!? Just what do I have to be grateful about?” The elderly widower in my grief group was incensed that the fourth session was focused on gratitude. The topic…
Sing a song unto the Lord of anger and confusion
Do you think God must hate you? You’re not alone. Anger toward God can occur for a multitude of reasons and is usually experienced after suffering a setback a person perceives is unfair, most often when that suffering is very…
How a verbally abusive male pastor derailed a young woman from ministry
“I can’t tell you how many Monday mornings I cried in the bathroom not wanting to go to work because I was so terrified of what the senior pastor was going to say to me when he came into the…
Assessing the damage Twitter has done to American Christianity
When historians look back to assess the decline of American Christianity in the first half of the 21st century, they will no doubt finger Twitter as a point of no return. If you are among the 77% of Americans who…
What to do when the neighbors are loud
Imagine the opening scene of Love Actually in Hugh Grant’s voice: “Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in…
Most Americans believe: ‘There is no justifiable religious reason to refuse vaccinations’
Most Americans believe there is no justifiable religious reason to refuse vaccinations, and a majority also say too many people are using faith merely as an excuse to avoid getting the COVID-19 vaccine, new research shows. The updated Religion and…
‘The meanness of this moment’ in America (and its churches)
Recently, a friend asked, “Has American culture gone completely mad?” Today, I’d add to that troubling question this troubled response: “It’s not just that American culture has gone mad, it’s also gone mean. Meanness, to quote a Bette Midler song,…
Everything’s getting on my last nerve
I don’t know about you, but, I tell you, right now, pretty much everything is getting on my last nerve. People who refuse to get vaccinated are getting on my last nerve. Ditto people who won’t wear masks. Republican obstructionism…