Would reforms to address flaws in senior care facilities, proven amid a pandemic to be fatal for far too many older persons, have prevented the death of my sister? Perhaps not. Would they have made her last weeks less painful and traumatic? Of that I have no doubt.
McLaren: progressive Baptists essential to countering politics, racism in the white church
“I think evangelicals and Baptists were closer to the truth 30 years ago when they used to say that character counts. I think the abandonment of character as a political standard is tragic and regrettable and we will reap what we have sown.”
Engaging online worshipers key to boosting discipleship during pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a time of learning for churches as they adjust to virtual ministry, said Andy Jung, associate executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina.
The First Amendment and religious freedom compel me to refute Trump’s position on churches reopening
I come from people who had to “steal away” to worship God. Slaveowners could not prevent my ancestors from worshiping God and caring for others. No politician in the current version of U.S. slavocracy will do so.
Is the pandemic-era church a church without baptisms, funerals and other major rituals?
“I have to ask myself: am I doing anything I was called to do when I became a pastor?”
While some try to politicize wearing face masks, for me it’s a spiritual practice
The face mask debate among Christ followers amid a devastating global pandemic demands that we think deeply about what outward signs signify about inward spiritual grace. I have come to view wearing a protective mask as a spiritual practice.
An alternative to ‘virtual communion’ for the scattered church
Amid discussions about the practice of “virtual communion” in these extraordinary times, we commend an ancient Christian practice that may be relevant for churches today, especially for those that have decided they cannot celebrate communion virtually.
What if Americans go looking for spiritual renewal and our churches are too troubled to help?
I find myself in awe of the clergy and laity offering frontline care of souls in response to COVID-19, lovingly creating ministry alternatives, even from a distance. While these acts of selflessness are themselves a dramatic sign of spiritual renewal, sobering trends confront America’s churches.
I have a few choice words for people protesting public health directives. Then I hear that still, small voice.
As disciples of Jesus, we do not have the luxury of hating people, writing people off, dehumanizing them or wishing them ill, even when they are acting in the worst ways possible.
Churches are compelled to support practices to combat pandemic
“Through their actions, they’re not just harming people in our community, they’re harming and putting members of their own congregation at risk.”
Ahmaud Arbery and a pandemic of injustice
The novel coronavirus crisis has ushered in a pandemic of injustice. A central theme in this story is that the most vulnerable among us have been the most deeply impacted by a sickness that does not discriminate.
Churches (cautiously) prepare to reopen as states lift COVID-19 restrictions
Many churches are taking a slow, methodical approach to returning to in-person worship even as some states reopen during the COVID-19 pandemic.