Sister Norma Pimentel wants Americans to see children held in detention centers along the U.S.-Mexico border as human beings. Although she has been persecuted by other conservative Christians and even her fellow Catholics — like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott —…
Catholic ‘pro-life’ group goes after YMCA for recognizing Pride month
“Pro-life” now means anti-gay for a group that calls itself the nation’s “oldest grassroots Catholic pro-life education organization.” In a June 6 news release, the American Life League took on the Young Men’s Christian Association and said the 180-year-old organization…
Pew study finds major shifts in U.S. Latino religious identity
Catholicism has taken the biggest hit from U.S. Latinos switching religious affiliations over the past decade or more, while the religiously unaffiliated have seen the most growth in that time frame, new research shows. The Pew Research Center study also…
An unlikely treasure of religious devotion found in a family attic
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but occasionally a gasp is a more appropriate response. Such was the case during an evening of sorting through old photos from the attic of my wife’s family home. Her father died…
Baptists applying some ‘very Catholic’ approaches to racial reconciliation
A small group of Baptist ministers is exploring ways to apply historically Catholic spiritual formation disciplines to the work of racial reconciliation. The exploration is based on the belief that those ancient practices, such as meditation and contemplative prayer, can…
Research group sees Catholics, Baptists and Mormons as Christians (because they say so)
It isn’t hard to find Baptists and other Protestants who believe Mormons are not Christians. But about half of all Americans and nearly every Mormon believe they are, the Pew Research Center has found. So who is right? Well, what…
Learning from ‘Coco’: Challenges and opportunities
In my corner of the world, people continue to be interested in the movie Coco, especially after its nomination for an Oscar in the category of best animated feature film. Personally, I started to think about this movie again due to my mother’s recent passing.
TV news career prepared pastor for hectic ministry life
The directors of television newscasts lead intense, even frantic professional lives. They work long, caffeinated hours weaving together the up-to-the-minute contributions of producers, photographers and anchors into — they hope — coherent broadcasts. It’s much the same as shepherding a congregation, says Erica Van Brakle, a veteran of TV news production-turned-American Baptist pastor.
Did Robert Jeffress contribute to SBC decline with pro-war, pro-Trump statement?
As Christian denominations continue their downward spiral, some experts say the rapid descent is caused by the increasing politicization of the church and the erosion of church-state separation. A Gallup poll released last month found that the percentage of American…