At the age of 17, Joni Eareckson Tada made what would turn out to be a life-changing decision. She dived into shallow water in the Chesapeake Bay, which resulted in paralysis throughout most of her body. Six decades later, Tada…
What The Atlanta Opera and theater companies might teach the church about post-COVID adaptation
“The show must go on” was the mantra of many performance organizations forced to become even more creative during the COVID pandemic. Operas moved outside, and bassoonists took their bows online. Churches followed suit and pivoted to streaming worship services…
Escaping the current double bind in church leadership
Listening to clergy, church staff, lay leaders, they describe being caught in the classic double bind. On the one hand, they want their churches to flourish in this emerging new environment. The pandemic is largely over, presenting wonderful opportunities for…
The pandemic is not over for those with long COVID
“The pandemic is over.” President Biden’s words a few weeks ago are dangerously false. They are also short sighted. Since we first heard the phrase “novel coronavirus,” our focus has been on deaths. Yes, deaths are an important metric with…
Next month, Arkansans will vote on a controversial ‘religious freedom’ amendment sparked by COVID closures
Proponents of Issue 3 on Arkansas’ Nov. 8 ballot claim it will protect individual religious freedom from violation by local and state government. Opponents say it clears the way for faith-based racial and sexual discrimination. “This is not about a…
What happened at Southwestern and why does it matter?
There is no joy in reporting that Southwestern Seminary has forced out its fourth president in 28 years. But there is a need to give some interpretation to what this means and why it likely happened. Even though I haven’t…
‘Reverend, they ain’t ever coming back’: Confronting churchly realities 2022
Early on in the COVID crisis, I had a long conversation with a close pastor friend about changes in American church life occurring before our eyes. We talked about what I call “the changing sociology of Sunday,” a demographic-cultural reality…
Faith communities are undergoing upheaval, awakening and maybe transformation
Something is happening in the religious and spiritual universe. Many people, if they care about religion at all, have noticed the changing face of religion and spirituality in the United States and throughout the world. Most Americans consider themselves spiritual,…
A school administrator reflects on rebuilding relationships between schools and homes
What do the following human interactions have in common? A simple disagreement between two individuals, an intellectual property lawsuit, road rage, marital strife, military conflict. In some context, each is typically an outgrowth of misunderstanding. Some may argue that the…