With the U.S. presidential election and down-ballot contests looming, United Methodists are making a final push to encourage their sibling Wesleyans to vote as a sacred duty, using Christian values and character traits as their guide. Officially, the denomination, its…
From empire to freedom: The hope of our faith
Facing the reality of governmental oppression, as a form of imperial reaction and suppression to the revolutionary movement of the church, early Christians anticipated unavoidable suffering. Living within an autocracy, anyone or any movement that stood in contradiction to this…
House Speaker Mike Johnson is latest GOP leader to receive warm welcome on Focus broadcast
Mike Johnson, the 56th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, discussed his family origins, his Christian faith, abortion, the “so-called” separation of church and state, attacks on American Christians and his love for his political opponent Hakeem Jeffries in…
‘Confession of Evangelical Conviction’ puts Jesus ahead of politics
A new confession of conviction to counter the politicization of evangelical congregations will generate pushback from Christians convinced their preferred political candidates are chosen by God, faith leaders said during an online briefing about the document. The “Confession of Evangelical…
Raushenbush looks for voices of faith at DNC
Interfaith Alliance President Paul Raushenbush spent much of his time at the Democratic National Convention canvassing activists, clergy and politicians on the intersection of religion, culture and politics leading up to the 2024 election and beyond. He also attended Promise…
Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Rowan Williams
Rowan Williams is the past Archbishop of Canterbury, the retired master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, and one of the world’s greatest living theologians. He is also a person who has thought concretely about social issues, governance and government over the…
A response to Mark Wingfield: Moltmann offers a third way
A couple of weeks ago, Mark Wingfield wrote to challenge his readers in his article, “The Strict Father Model is Killing Us.” After describing the differences between the Strict Father and the Nurturant Parent worldview models, which attempts to explain…
Politics, faith and mission: A conversation with Jimi Calhoun
Jimi Calhoun is full of stories about musicians with whom he’s performed, churches he’s served, and the human possibilities for which he hopes. As a bass player, he’s played across the globe with Dr. John, Parliament Funkadelic, Buddy Miles and…
Derek Webb finds new life in uncertainty
Thirty-two years ago, when Derek Webb emerged on the national scene with the contemporary Christian music group Caedmon’s Call, he could not have imagined how much his life would veer into uncharted territory. That’s not because of fame but because…