While most American parents say it’s more important to share faith than political orientation with their children, research shows they are doing a pretty good job of doing both, Pew Research Center reports. “This may be surprising, considering that parents…
School shootings: How can we respond to children, parents, teachers and others affected?
With the recent incidents of school shootings around the country, we may be asking how we can respond. These breaks in our sense of security bring up many feelings, questions and worries. They can make us feel sick as we think…
American teenagers prefer to affiliate with congregations that support social justice causes and mental health
A quarter of the world’s teenagers say the church has “definitely” lost its effectiveness as a force against injustice, poverty and environmental challenges, new research shows. But in the United States, Generation Z is more optimistic about organized religion’s role…
When a teenager gets kicked to the curb by Christian parents
Editor’s note: This launches a series of opinion pieces over the coming weeks that will address the problems created by “ex-gay” ministries and those who continue to practice or advocate for the now-discredited forms of conversion therapy. The following column…
Baptist therapist has a prescription for our anxious pursuit of the good life
The American way of life may be good for business, but it wreaks havoc on the mental and emotional well-being of individuals and society, psychotherapist and former Baptist youth pastor Eric Minton believes. The diagnosis stems from his observation of…
Learning to see my hometown from a different perspective with a little help from my friends
I’m from Knoxville, Tenn. You probably haven’t thought much about the mid-sized Southern city I call home for the same reasons you don’t often find yourself imaginatively drifting off in the middle of a busy work day with thoughts of…
Racism is never an innocent joke
I don’t think Baptists today are particularly gifted in the spiritual discipline of confession of sin. We’re glad to echo Romans 3:23 and declare that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, but we tend to avoid candid…
The ongoing epidemic of pornography in the church
My first experience with porn was vacuuming cars in my dad’s service station. I was about 10 at the time, and I found magazines under some of the customer’s company cars which had naked women on almost every page. My…
Teens say social media deepens friendships. Some aren’t buying it.
If I have 1,100 people I am friends with on Facebook, how many of those friends do I really have relationships with?