In the aftermath of mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, I read and heard exhortations along these lines: “If your pastor does not call out white supremacy and gun violence tomorrow in worship, it’s time to find another church.” Please, can we stop doing this?
Responding to gun violence in America: the Church cannot give up
Because we follow the Prince of Peace, the seemingly endless gun violence in our nation affects us in a deep place. Our hearts and spirits feel this violence as a literal assault on our humanity and our faith. So what do we do now?
I’m a pastor who refuses to offer ‘thoughts and prayers’ for these people
I’m praying that God will comfort suffering victims and afflict their political and religious victimizers. That’s not a “God bless the USA” prayer. It’s a “Thy will be done” prayer.
El Paso shooting puts Christian nationalism on trial
A Twitter account likely belonging to the suspect in Saturday’s mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, identified 21-year-old Patrick Crusius as a “proud God-loving Christian”
Weaponized Calvinism? Accused synagogue shooter spouted both racist conspiracy theories and the doctrines of grace
Revelations that the accused gunman in a deadly synagogue shooting in California was a church-going Presbyterian prompted statements from a small denomination that is part of the “young, restless and reformed” family tree.
Courage amid a 21st-century reality: Worship can get you killed, anywhere in the world
People of faith, whatever the specific tradition, now confront a 21st-century global reality: Worship can get you killed, anywhere in the world.
‘Thoughts and prayers’ not enough to end gun violence, religious leaders say
It’s all too easy to fall into despair, give up or become cynical about the epidemic of gun violence gripping the nation. Latasha Hobbs of Jacksonville, Florida, says don’t do it. Don’t give in. “Our country is hurting. We have…
CBF leader condemns ‘white nationalism’ after synagogue attack
Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Executive Coordinator Suzii Paynter voiced solidarity with “our Jewish neighbors and friends in cities and towns across the country” in the aftermath of Saturday’s mass shooting inside a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “We condemn ideologies of white…
Americans seeking self-care in age of Trump, mass shootings and nuke fears
Anyone who even casually consumes news websites or social media is confronted with an array of anger- and fear-driven reports of End Times-inducing developments. So, it may be no coincidence that new Barna research has found “that most Americans are open to investing in their mental health through counseling” and that discussions about self-care have become mainstream.