Most people who attend religious services regularly have heard clergy speak on at least one social or political issue in recent months, according to a new survey by Pew Research. Abortion, homosexuality and Israel are the most commonly mentioned topics….
When pastors mistake theological maturity for spiritual maturity
A pastor colleague recently told me something I can’t seem to shake: “If I’m not on staff, pastoring or preaching, I don’t go to church on Sundays. I’m just not a pew person.” At first, it sounded like honesty. The…
CBF pastor among 50 arrested in DC sit-in
A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship pastor was among about 50 clergy arrested at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., Jan. 29. Wayne Weathers, pastor of Vision of Hope Baptist Church in Sicklerville, N.J., was among a group of faith…
On the ground in Minneapolis: It’s an occupation
They go by call signs like “Mr. Grinch,” “Ratatouille” and “Cold Toes.” They work within pods to patrol their neighborhoods by car, on foot and on bicycle. They sign up for shifts and have protocols for how to document ICE’s…
American Baptist leaders praise clergy protesting ICE
Leaders of the American Baptist Home Mission Societies issued a statement Nov. 18 offering support for clergy who have been arrested while protesting ICE, including an American Baptist pastor in the Chicago area. While many Mainline Protestant clergy have been at the…
What Kristi Noem and DHS won’t admit about clergy-led protests
Last Thursday night, I had dinner at the home of Baptist pastor Michael Woolf, his wife, Anna Piela, and their young daughter. We ate lasagna that Woolf had cooked. The next morning, a Reuters photo of Woolf’s arrest at a…
How the church broke my calling
Editor’s note: In rare cases, BNG will publish opinion pieces and withhold the identity of the author. This is one such case, for reasons that will become obvious to anyone reading what follows. The author is a real person, a…
Jesus is being tear gassed at Broadview
What follows is an open letter from more than 100 Chicago-area clergy issued Friday, Oct. 17. “Can I use my pastoral expense account to buy a gas mask?” It’s a question dozens of Chicago pastors asked our church boards…
Imagine this great cloud of Baptist witnesses around the Resolute Desk
Two images crowd into my mind. One is of President Donald Trump sitting at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, surrounded by a group of evangelical leaders. The other image is the cover artwork of Margaret M. Mitchell’s The…
Pastoral workaholism: The struggle is real
Let me give pastors some advice: Run away as fast as possible from anyone trying to convince you that burning out or upholding unhealthy expectations (your own or from others) is a rite of passage. It is not. I agree…
Evangelical clergy largely deny human causes of climate change
Evangelical Protestant clergy are outliers among their peers in rejecting the scientific consensus that earth’s climate is changing and human actions are a major cause. Nearly 80% of evangelical Protestant clergy reject this idea, which is strongly held by the…
How ‘flood-the-zone’ politics is changing democracy and ministry
The “flood-the-zone” strategy is not new, but it is wildly effective. How can we understand its effect on churches and ministers? The immediate aim of President Donald Trump’s White House is to keep journalists off balance, news and social media…