There’s a video circulating of Al Mohler speaking at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., where something critical happens to him that stops him from speaking without explanation. The audience there and those who watch the video can hear him…
The health case for church attendance
The most common argument for religion in modern times is a utilitarian one: People are social animals who need religion and mediating institutions for a happy and healthy social organization. For better or worse, the moral cause and classical arguments…
A national wake-up call on Black America’s relationship with water
Now more than ever, America must confront a long-standing yet under-acknowledged public health and cultural crisis: Black Americans and water. The sudden and tragic death of Malcolm-Jamal Warner — an actor beloved across generations — has cast a spotlight on…
Among Christian ministries, two opposing views of Trump’s sudden, chaotic aid cuts
Evangelicals were essential in reelecting Donald Trump. Now, his sudden and drastic cuts to aid programs are forcing some evangelical nonprofits to end work and fire personnel, while Focus on the Family and other conservative groups praise the aid cuts…
Courtney B. Vance and Robin Smith want to help Black men thrive
It’s been said that COVID-19 was the great divider in our country. However, the pandemic brought together actor Courtney B. Vance and author Robin B. Smith to write about another health crisis. In their new book, The Invisible Ache, the…
Church gyms keep Zimbabwe female worshippers fit in a country with ailing health care
Ruth Chemubako, 45, likes to jog and do pushups inside the courtyard of a Baptist church at 4:30 a.m. three times a week with a dozen other women. “Our pastor deaconess or pastor leads the body fitness exercises. It’s safe…
Clearer picture emerging of UMC’s future
Even before its official year of splintering is completed, United Methodists are carving out a clearer identity for the denomination’s future and a clearer picture is emerging of who has stayed and who has left, about clergy health and the…
To increase congregational health, decrease domestic violence
The physical health of congregants is, of course, a concern for pastors, just as their spiritual health is. If congregants suffer a broken limb, a stroke, a heart attack or cancer, the pastoral staff will be there to walk alongside…
One year of sobriety
One year ago last Monday, I stopped drinking. For the past year, we’ve draw an “X” each day on a special, prominently displayed calendar. I preferred for Nancy, my wife, to draw the mark. Every time she did, she would…
If you’re engaged in justice ministry, here are some tips on how to avoid burnout
Those engaged in justice ministry must practice emotional and spiritual self-care or face overwhelming exhaustion and despair, a global justice ministry expert said in a recent webinar titled “Still Trusting the God of Justice.” “Helplessness and hopelessness can set in…
48-year-old pastor ‘retires’ from Texas megachurch, citing failing health, but will become a vice president at NAMB
The 48-year-old pastor of one of the largest churches in the Southern Baptist Convention told his congregation Sept. 11 he will “retire” as their pastor due to serious health problems but will continue his ministry as vice president for church…
12 cures for the hollow church
It’s been several years since the huge oak on the property of First Church came crashing down into the empty parking lot one Saturday night. A blast of straight-line winds proved more than the 250-year-old icon could withstand. The tree…