While the same-sex marriage now is the law of the land in the United States, white evangelical Christians remain distinct outliers among all Americans in accepting that reality. This finding from Public Religion Research Institute comes amid a backdrop in…
The folly of naming a place you don’t understand
I started getting calls and emails a few months ago from a couple of development companies that were introducing new plans down the street. Their reps were looking for some combination of buy-in, or solidarity, or absolution, all of which…
Why is there still ‘no room’ for so many homeless in America this Christmas?
More than 2,000 years ago, when Jesus was born, there was “no room” for his family in Bethlehem. Likewise, as Christmas 2021 approaches, we have no room for hundreds of thousands of our fellow Americans who live in tents, cardboard…
The connection between the wealth gap, monopolies, affordable housing and biblical truths
The first 346 words that follow the headline “The U.S. wealth gap presents both a political challenge and a spiritual problem” on Baptist News Global by Todd Thomason are packed with data that Christians of all stripes should carefully consider….
If you think racial equity exists in America today, you’re in the minority
Americans who contend there’s a level playing field for Blacks and whites today are in the minority of public opinion, according to new research by Gallup. The polling firm finds a growing number of Americans believe non-white people are subject…
Denver is sweeping away homeless encampments; two churches help open their own
While activists fight the city of Denver for sweeping away homeless encampments during a public health crisis, two Denver churches have set up camps on their property as an alternative. With local nonprofits, Denver Community Church and First Baptist Church…
‘They won’t take care of the house anyway’: One small transfusion of justice
“If you come and see the people, and talk with them, they don’t talk about how they’re living on less than $12,000 a year. They’re not talking about the fact that they go to bed hungry at night or that they don’t have a hospital. Their focus is on their joy and the things they do have. There is a lot of love.”
The endless work of combatting rural poverty can leave you in the dark, but hope flickers
On many days, the endless work of combatting rural poverty leaves you in the dark, utterly hopeless, Frances Ford says, but as Perry County’s own begin to build it themselves, hope flickers. True asset-based community development is sluggish work, and, at times, maybe impossible work.
Perry County, Alabama: Fields of Paradox
There is a tension you must hold in Perry County, Alabama, between strength and fragility, beauty and dismay, resilience and defeat. The moment you discount its people and cry “poverty,” Perry County bewilders you with overwhelming abundance and gratitude. The moment you discover the outright richness of life there, you must contend with the exhaustive power of poverty to steal home, health and even your next meal.