I’ve written elsewhere about the role the arts have played in both creating and confronting shared identity and ethics across time. Art is a powerful medium. It has the potential to both reflect and to shape collective memory — which…
Bill Moyers: Fearless speaker of truth
When I saw the news of Bill Moyers dying, I felt all the oxygen left my office. Never has one person spoken more truth to power than Moyers. The tributes to him are prodigious and well-deserving. I add here some…
Conservatives’ hatred for PBS and NPR is nothing new
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to stop federal funding for PBS and NPR. The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease federal funding for NPR and PBS.” Republican and evangelical opposition…
Why defunding NPR and PBS hurts every American
Public broadcasting is not just media — it’s a lifeline, especially for millions of Americans who are not wealthy, politically connected or part of elite circles. Right now, that lifeline is under threat. National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting…
New PBS documentary explores White Christianity vs. Black Christianity
The past decade has created a new dialogue on issues of racial reconciliation and the role religion plays in it. From Robert P. Jones’ White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity to Kristin Kobes Du Mez’s…
Baylor endows new academic chair in study of Black worship
Baylor University will create an endowed faculty position for the study of Black worship, with a gift from the Prichard Family Foundation and Ella Wall Prichard of Corpus Christi, Texas. The new Lev H. Prichard III Chair in the Study…
New study finds affirmation of Black church experience even as attendance declines
A growing number of African Americans say that understanding the Black experience requires an appreciation of the role of the church in Black lives, new research shows. But the same study also uncovered a drop in interest among Blacks in…
With Invictus Howard Goodall tells Christ’s Passion mainly through texts written by women
When Howard Goodall set out to write a fresh choral work on the Passion of Christ, he knew full well the giants who had trod this ground before, especially the ever-present Johann Sebastian Bach. Yet he also knew the overwhelming…
Former missionary kids document creative compassion down ‘The Good Road’ on PBS
A new television series premiering April 6 on PBS promises to introduce viewers to some of the most innovative acts of courage and kindness around the planet. “The Good Road” is a journey led by philanthropists and adventurers Earl Bridges…
Religion Notes: Georgia Baptist Mission Board layoffs follow declines in giving
Decreases in giving have contributed to the recent layoff of 20 staffer members from the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, according to a report in the Christian Index. “This decision was made only after months of intense prayer, study, and discussion…
Sermon making — a peek behind the curtain
In my free time I’ve recently begun watching the PBS series Grantchester, a television show about a village priest who solves murders in his free time. Since my free time doesn’t seem to be as generous as Mr. Chambers’, the…