The coronavirus pandemic unveils what is already present in our hearts, good and bad; it uncovers what is broken in our political and economic order just as surely as it shines a light on all that is beautiful about the human spirit.
Christians must seek ‘Easter moment’ beyond sanctuaries this year, ministers say
“This year has actually added a poignancy and intensity to Holy Week from all that I’m observing in my own heart and in my congregation.”
Even now, we must not rush to Easter. First, comes the middle space of Holy Saturday
While Jesus is indeed alive, the reality of God’s Kingdom is far from being fully realized in our world. Ultimately, rushing to the goodness of Easter is part of an escapist mentality only afforded to the most privileged among us.
‘Watch with me’: on the other side of our long night of grief, space to reimagine our world
The people who die from COVID-19 will come from every walk of life in every town in the country. But in aggregate, the pattern shows now and will continue to show that deaths by the disease are political deaths – ones set into motion by racism and oppression.
In these fearful days, I’m gladly praying for ‘Sticky,’ my 4-year-old son’s imaginary friend
After this pandemic is over, after things return to “normal,” we will still have the scars from our experience. And how well these scars heal is directly related to how we treat our wounds and the wounds of our neighbors now.
The CARES Act may be a financial lifeline for churches; but at what cost to religious liberty?
I know the CARES Act represents a lifeline to churches that don’t know how they’ll keep their doors open without it. But I also know that my Baptist forbears endured imprisonment, public beatings and even exile to defend the principle of absolute religious liberty. Some principles are worth defending no matter what the cost.
BPFNA will host online Summer Conference due to COVID-19
The Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America announced April 7 its Summer Conference will be going virtual in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual event was to be held July 6-10 in San Diego, California. But the spread of…
Crucifixion and coronavirus: a Holy Week unlike any other
David declared that even though he walked through the valley of the shadow of death, goodness and mercy would follow him always and that God would be with him forever. This year, this Holy Week, we have to find a way to believe that.
Chaplains struggle to provide ‘ministry of presence’ in time of social distancing
“The difficult part is not being face-to-face, not having eye contact, not being able to give hugs and to provide a gentle touch to people, which is something that we do with hand-holding or stroking of someone’s forehead.”