How to cope with pandemic holidays will be the topic of Baptist News Global’s next webinar, scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 3. The online seminar is free and open to anyone, but advance registration is required to receive entry credentials via…
Bonhoeffer Moment No. 4: ‘Are we still of any use?’
“Are we still of any use?” Dietrich Bonhoeffer asked that question of German Christians near the end of his 1943 essay, “After Ten Years.” We American Christians might ask it of ourselves 77 years later. The nation’s presidential election is…
African bishops demand independence in deciding United Methodist Church’s future
The conflict over acceptance of LGBTQ persons in The United Methodist Church has become a three-way fight — with even more contenders likely waiting to turn the bout into a battle royal between opposing American forces and the rest of…
COVID-19 creating exponential increase in global poverty
The effect of coronavirus on global poverty is getting significantly worse, according to new data from the World Bank. COVID-19 is “likely to push between 88 and 115 million people into extreme poverty — those living under $1.90 a day…
Gratitude and holy kisses in a pandemic
As we approach the season to count our blessings and celebrate earthly abundance, for many, gratitude will be hard to find in 2020. How is Thanksgiving going to work amid a seemingly endless pandemic with the loss of more than…
Four toxins to address in healing from this wretched season
What healing can come from this wretched season, and how can I write about it healingly? I’m thinking of this pandemic season stretching on and on with more thousands dying and more upended lives. I’m thinking about this political season,…
Hybrid church is probably here to stay, but some things don’t translate well to digital
If you’re wondering whether the pandemic and online church will have a lasting effect on how churches operate, new research from Barna indicates the answer is a definitive yes. While most churchgoing Americans long to be back in their physical…
Emotional contagion begins with church leadership
Emotions are not our faith. Our faith is our faith. Yet, emotions are powerful forces in faith communities, especially in one whose primary metaphor is “body.” We are at our best when we are one body, the body of Christ,…
Happy Halloween, but this year I don’t need anything else to fear
I’ve always hated Halloween. I didn’t like it as a kid. The creepy faces, the scary clowns. It was all too unnerving. That didn’t change when I became an adult. The Halloween after my college graduation, sitting at the desk…