One hot topic — for the church and Americans — is that we as a nation continue to struggle with diversity. Increasingly, folks of all races are moving next door, entering families through marriage or adoption, and sitting next to…
Baylor regents ‘accept’ racial history report, will release findings by end of March
Baylor University’s board of regents “accepted” a final report of its Commission on Historic Campus Representations Feb. 19 but will not release the findings to the public until the end of March. Lori Fogleman, university spokesperson, said the report will…
Majority of Americans believe race relations have worsened in last four years
Most Americans say race relations took a significant hit during the past four years, and almost a quarter believe clergy have failed to exert a positive influence on the trend, new research shows. “Fewer Americans believe our nation has made…
‘Jezebel’ is one of three common racial slurs against all Black women and girls
Another Black woman has been called “Jezebel,” a racial stereotype and slur that historically and persistently has been used to obfuscate the truth, promote and justify racial inequality and sexual violence against Black women. According to Baptist News Global, two…
Pastors, will you speak up when a Black woman is demeaned?
The recent tweet from Pastor Tom Buck referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as a “Jezebel” invoked a long-standing racist and misogynistic image. Pastor Buck, an East Texas pastor and member of the Southern Baptist Convention, went on to defend…
Black church important antidote to social despair caused by white supremacy
The Black church in America plays a crucial role in empowering its congregants amid the reality of white supremacy that causes a growing number of Black Americans to feel insecure, new research finds. Despite the election of Raphael Warnock as…
A letter to the white church in America
On April 12, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, Ala., for leading a nonviolent demonstration for human rights. While he was being detained, he was given a newspaper that contained a statement written by eight white preachers….
No ifs, ands or butts: Binary thinking makes the Christian life hard to wear
Binary thinking is the butt crack of the body of Christ. Yes, I’m being cheeky, but the reality is that our Christian faith gets sucked into the bottom half of a sagging belief system sort of like when a person…
A second SBC pastor in Texas called Vice President Kamala Harris ‘Jezebel’
It turns out that East Texas pastor Tom Buck wasn’t the first Southern Baptist pastor in Texas to call Vice President Kamala Harris a “Jezebel.” Steve Swofford, pastor of First Baptist Church of Rockwall, Texas, located in the eastern suburbs…