Last week, the annual meeting of the National Leadership Council of the American Baptist Churches USA took place in Atlanta under the theme, “Claim, Distinguish and Proclaim the Markers of American Baptists.” That should be considered a big deal for…
Statement urges US Christians to ‘resistance’ and ‘repentance’
More than 400 U.S. Christians of multiple denominations have signed an ecumenical statement urging Christians to stand up for their neighbors, protect vulnerable people and defend democracy as faithful followers of Jesus Christ. Drafted by an ad hoc coalition of prominent…
Too many Black churches have stopped doing the work
Since its inception, the Black Church has stood for activism. It has been loud when the world demanded silence. Emotive in a culture that prizes stoicism over vulnerability. Communal in the face of capitalism’s insistence on individualism. Faithful amid unrelenting…
How the Black Church saved me from white evangelicalism
There was a time when I almost lost myself trying to fit into white evangelical spaces that never were designed for me. These were spaces where I was preemptively labeled a “liberal” and my passion for racial justice was dismissed…
Hundreds of Catholic sisters walk Atlanta streets to pray for social, environmental justice
As the sun rose Thursday morning (Aug. 14), hundreds of Catholic sisters walked through downtown Atlanta as part of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious’ “Outdoor Pilgrimage of Hope.” From 7 to 8 a.m., approximately 470 participants prayed in unison…
57 years ago, student protesters were welcomed at SBC annual meeting
I can regularly count on late May and June as a time when news about the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention begins to circulate. This year was no exception. It seems this year dealing with charges of sexual…
Pope Leo explains his name and agenda
Pope Leo XIV has spent his first two weeks in office slowly speaking to the press, unfurling his vision for the papacy and going about his job. He’s also making sharp statements, discussing social justice and signaling the direction of…
The church is what we do next
Toward the end of the movie Conclave, members of the College of Cardinals regroup following a series of bomb explosions that have rocked the Vatican. After a seasoned cardinal demands militant action against Muslims, a younger Cardinal speaks: No, my…
What I learned at CBF’s Advocacy in Action
I got to tag along with Cooperative Baptist Fellowship on its Advocacy in Action trip to Washington, D.C., last week. Having participated in several similar advocacy trainings and trips with various groups, I thought I knew what to expect. The…
Get angry, church
There’s a powerful quote buried halfway through Madeleine L’Engle’s children’s novel, A Wrinkle in Time: “’Stay angry, little Meg,’ Mrs. Whatsit whispered. ‘You will need all your anger now.’” Just as Meg Murry, Charles Wallace Murry and Calvin O’Keefe are…
Social Principles are basis of UMC opposition to Trump policies
Note: This is the first in a five-part series on the updated Social Principles of The United Methodist Church. Still reeling like many Americans from the “shock and awe” of the first few weeks of the new federal administration,…
‘Clever Girl’ Explains Why Dinosaurs are Queer and Feminist — and Jurassic Park is a Toolkit for the Apocalypse
Everything happens so much these days, and so very much of it is very bad indeed. In the last few weeks alone, we’ve had another school shooting, the passing of a social justice icon, the VP’s ‘cleansing’ visit to Dachau, and an ongoing genocide in…