Sid Smith III is a man on a mission to help church choirs and music ministries flourish. He comes by this mission honestly, being the son of Sid Smith Jr., who was a pioneering Black church consultant in the Southern…
We have not been called to be evangelical assimilators
For 21 years of my professional life, I spent my time trying to assimilate into the white evangelical church. As I look back at all those years, I can remember not being enough. I was just enough to get hired…
My prayer for Don Lemon
When I learned of the arrest of journalist Don Lemon this morning, a few things ran through my head, one being the interview I did with him back in 2024 on his faith. I still remember our conversation like it…
Top analysis piece traced Charlie Kirk’s rise as MAGA influencer
Baptist News Global’s most-read analysis articles in 2025 revealed strong reader interest in Christian nationalism, MAGA theology and conspiracies and controversies involving conservative and progressive religious figures. Of the 15 most-read analysis pieces this year, three were about Trump insider…
The president isn’t ‘born again’
If President Donald Trump truly were a Christian, he would not have said what he said on Fox and Friends this morning. Trump called into his favorite show to talk about his policy regarding Ukraine and Russia. Then, prompted by…
The approaching storm: Generational shift in views of financial stewardship
Growing up in Florida and Alabama respectively, we both learned early what it means to prepare for storms. When Hurricane Andrew’s name comes up, or when someone mentions the tornado outbreak of 2011, memories surface — not just of the…
How Jimmy Swaggart shaped my life
Jimmy Swaggart has died at the age 90. Swaggart was born and raised in the heart of Louisiana and ended up being rooted there to do what he and his followers would call “the Lord’s work” in Baton Rouge. As…
President Carter: The second half of life can be better than the first
When I learned former President Jimmy Carter’s health had died, memories began to unfold of when I met him during a chaotic season in my life nearly seven years ago. My memory is crystal clear on the events in my…
Letter to my Black daughter on the 2024 election
Zyan, you haven’t gotten home yet from school, but there are tears running down my eyes as I hear Vice President Harris in the background conceding the election. This morning when you went to school, I could tell in your…
Understanding the David Platt story
Two weeks ago, I received a press release from a PR firm inquiring about my interest in interviewing pastor and New York Times bestselling author David Platt. The request struck me as unusual, as Platt typically only grants interviews coinciding…
Donald Trump’s smear of Kamala Harris’ race is what people like me experience
Recently, former President Donald Trump made one of his most idiotic comments yet by saying Vice President Kamala Harris conveniently “turned Black” for political purposes. “She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” Trump said…
The problem with men’s conferences
The problem with Christian men’s conferences may not be the men or the speakers, it may be the very idea of a “men’s” conference. Such events have become popular in modern American churches, particularly among evangelicals. And sometimes they create…