There are queer folks in my church. I worship with them every Sunday. There are queer folks in your church too, whether you know it or not. That’s just how statistics work. More often than not, however, these beloved siblings…
If getting voters to the polls isn’t government’s job, maybe it is the work of the church
Tim O’Hare has taken limited government to a new self-defeating level. The Tarrant County, Texas, county judge (chief executive of the county government) declared last week: “I don’t believe it’s the county government’s responsibility to try to get more people…
AI ‘deep fakes’ are creating a new way of violating women’s privacy on the internet
Most people know of AI as a tool that will write papers, complete assignments or generate streams of content at the click of a button, like ChatGPT. Debates about the pros and cons of AI have been in conversation for…
We face a cultural crisis, not just a political one
As Jeanie and I danced the night away in Atlanta on New Year’s Eve — yes, we actually did that, although I admit I ended up with a twisted knee, a sadly predictable outcome for a man of my rapidly…
It could happen to you: A warning to anyone who produces online content for churches and nonprofits
A few months ago, I received a hotter-than-usual email in my inbox. Rather than a letter from an angry reader, this was the draft of a legal document accusing Baptist News Global of copyright infringement and demanding $30,000 as settlement….
Zimbabwe’s bitter elections create rifts between pastors and congregants
On Aug. 24, Zimbabwe held presidential elections where the military-supported governing party, which has governed for 43 years, won again, dubiously against a 45-year-old pastor. The bitter aftertaste of the election, which the United States government condemned as a “sham,”…
Church gyms keep Zimbabwe female worshippers fit in a country with ailing health care
Ruth Chemubako, 45, likes to jog and do pushups inside the courtyard of a Baptist church at 4:30 a.m. three times a week with a dozen other women. “Our pastor deaconess or pastor leads the body fitness exercises. It’s safe…
Evangelical group teaches churches to prioritize politics
Churches wanting to influence their communities through politics rather than evangelism and ministries can watch Tuesday’s free Community Impact Training livestream from the Family Research Council, the sister organization of Focus on the Family, which first created the training in…
The real religious crisis in America
In a recent NPR interview, Russell Moore, author of Losing Our Religion, told a story about a pastor who preached a message from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. During his message, the pastor quoted Jesus saying things like “Turn the…