The COVID-19 pandemic has been a time of learning for churches as they adjust to virtual ministry, said Andy Jung, associate executive coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina.
The time is now: Born-again Christians need to make some babies
The Holy Spirit is conceiving new life and needs a partner. The Church, the body of Christ, is called to be born again and again and again. May we be a body in the infancy of innovative growth, a body vulnerable and yet powerful as the Church enters an unknown future full of new possibilities.
The First Amendment and religious freedom compel me to refute Trump’s position on churches reopening
I come from people who had to “steal away” to worship God. Slaveowners could not prevent my ancestors from worshiping God and caring for others. No politician in the current version of U.S. slavocracy will do so.
Mr. President, worship is an essential part of my life, but not an essential part of my death
If the church is truly committed to the “care of souls,” then my physical absence on Sundays is not a test of faith, it’s an affirmation of faith and life. If God really is present everywhere, and if churches continue to offer worship online, then so be it. The Spirit knows where to find me, wherever I am.
Is the pandemic-era church a church without baptisms, funerals and other major rituals?
“I have to ask myself: am I doing anything I was called to do when I became a pastor?”
The Commander-of-Church-in-Chief
President Trump is running scared, and understandably so. His press room appearance to demand the reopening of houses of worship is proof positive. Without the so-called white evangelical vote, he has no chance at reelection.
While some try to politicize wearing face masks, for me it’s a spiritual practice
The face mask debate among Christ followers amid a devastating global pandemic demands that we think deeply about what outward signs signify about inward spiritual grace. I have come to view wearing a protective mask as a spiritual practice.
Rebuilding the foundations of ‘The City on the Hill’: the shadow side of American exceptionalism
If we are to rebuild the foundations of this “City on a Hill,” we must work with all people of good will, those of all religions, races and economic classes, to follow the counsel of Micah to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.
An alternative to ‘virtual communion’ for the scattered church
Amid discussions about the practice of “virtual communion” in these extraordinary times, we commend an ancient Christian practice that may be relevant for churches today, especially for those that have decided they cannot celebrate communion virtually.