Virginia’s coronavirus vaccine coordinator appealed to Baptist pastors to help model patience with the pace of inoculations and to help minimize skepticism around the growing scientific understanding of the virus and ways to prevent its spread. In a 45-minute Zoom…
Half of pastors say their congregants are spreading conspiracy theories
The bigger, whiter and more conservative the church, the more likely its members are to believe and share conspiracy theories, according to a new survey by LifeWay. “Christian churches resolve to be places focused on the truth,” said Scott McConnell,…
Toxic masculinity, 24-hour news and complacency fed the Jan. 6 riots
The mob riots of Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C., have rightfully angered many of us, while also injecting tons of confusion into our national conversation. Which is saying a lot since our national conversation already was in tatters from so…
Where do you go for news you can trust?
Steve Lopez, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, has been thinking about this question in much the same way as I have. “We are so helplessly, irrevocably divided, it’s time to quit talking about coming together as one and…
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…
Church in the Age of Conspiracy Theories
It was two separate conversations with two thirty-somethings from two different states within two days: “My parents have become radicalized during COVID,” they lamented. The common theme in both discussions was that their senior adult parents had spent months in…
Is QAnon a prophet or provocateur? And how should Christians respond?
To some, it’s the beginning of a new religious movement. For others, a puzzle or a game. For still others, it is community, a gathering of like-minded folks who enjoy each other’s company and share a deep passion. But for…