Commentary
Far from being anti-religious, faith and spirituality run deep in Black Lives Matter
BLM has been accused of being ‘Godless’ and operating in a ‘demonic realm.’ But scholars of religion see a deep spirituality at work in the movement.
Why masks are a religious issue
Are masks a religious matter, or is religion being used to suit people’s political agendas? A scholar of Christian conservatism and culture argues both can be true
Why porn’s negative personal consequences are often really about religion
Evangelicals’ feeling about porn may well be influencing public policy as mostly red states have increasingly sought to declare pornography a ‘public health crisis.’
Never Forget, Despite the Pandemic
I remember the heartbreak and months-long mourning in New York City after that fateful day back on September 11, 2001. Even amidst this ongoing and insufferable pandemic, we owe the victims and their families a moment of recognition and remembrance. We must #NeverForget.
Bridging America’s divides requires a willingness to work together without becoming friends first
The advocates of friendship as a way to solve America’s partisan divide are wrong. There are more effective ways to tackle intractable political problems.
After a fellow Black girl was detained for not doing her schoolwork, I fought for her freedom
At 17, I find this work daunting but essential.
As a Black high school teacher — and a mother of sons — this is my urgent message
George Floyd’s senseless death has set my soul on fire.
If you’ve got Jesus in your profile, don’t be nasty on your timeline
How can people who claim Jesus as Lord act so mean?
Leading a nonprofit through this racial reckoning? It’s more complicated if you’re Black.
When speaking out directly against injustice, our white counterparts are perceived as brave, while Black leaders see our anger weaponized.
The Me I See: My Race, My Faith, My Identity
COMMENTARY: My faith doesn’t just inform my identity. It becomes the lens through which I’m able to see who I really am.
Commentary: The Enduring Gift of a Father’s Love
I have somehow learned to go on without his notes of encouragement, his bear hugs and his”just-to-say-I-love-you” phone calls. But what hasn’t changed is how often I still hear his words in my mind.
A Giving Father
A personal tribute from a daughter about her selfless father, a man of unwavering faith who cared deeply for his family and ingrained a ministry of caring for others in his children.
You Can Pray That Again
A praying life isn’t simply a morning prayer time. It’s about slipping into prayer at odd hours of the day — and not because we are disciplined. We are in touch with our own poverty of spirit, realizing that we can’t even walk through a mall or our neighborhood without the help of the Spirit of Jesus.
In the wake of yet more anti-Black violence: We must ‘fight the freeze’
The fight, flight or freeze reflex may kick in when people of conscience see or hear about the latest incident of Black death.
What veterans’ poems can teach us about healing on Memorial Day
Memorial Day may have “official” roots honoring Union dead, but veteran poets of recent wars have found ways to honor all those who have died in battle.
Gospel Grieving: Breaking Bread and Remembering
This moment in time has forced many of us to dig deep into the things and people that ground us. We are desperate for a familiar recipe — a set of ingredients that might nourish us the way they did in the past.
Ahmaud Arbery died for the indefensible principle of white control
No racial or ethnic group should have the power of life and death over another. Black bodies have been created in the likeness of God, yet our simple presence is deemed a threat to be controlled rather than a neighbor to be loved.
The Whispers of Revival
How the EveryCampus Movement is Helping to Facilitate a New Move of God in America.
The Mother of All Gifts
Flowers, candy, and cards are nice, but for moms, the best Mother’s Day gifts of all are the people who make us mothers.
10 Two-Minute Podcast Shorts on Prayer
Turn the ringer off on your phone, find a quiet place, be still, and listen.
Developing a God-Shaped Mind to Work With Purpose
Have you considered work plans that involve being fully engaged in some form of work beyond retirement? In other words, are you developing a Christo-centric mindset that allows you to develop the right spiritual attitude to make satisfying and essential career transitions?
The After Life
COMMENTARY: I’m convinced we need the power of nature, of art and color and story, to move beyond existing and enter that place where we live fully, or at least, well. We do need words that spring forth from flowerbeds, that speak of newness and beauty and hope all wrapped up in one.
Words of Encouragement from Urban Faith
We’ve seen the local and national news and, like you, our timelines and newsfeeds are filled with sad videos. Click away from the drama and enjoy a few brief words of encouragement in difficult times. Stay strong!
Elevating Easter
Why we should give Resurrection Sunday the Christmas treatment.
We’re Still Doing Easter?
Is it time for Easter again? It doesn’t feel like the Easter season. Easter (or Resurrection Sunday for the purists) is around the corner, and yet many Millennials feel little reason to celebrate.
COMMENTARY: When I Was Homeless…
I haven’t shaken a cup for donations in over two decades, as I have managed to string together 16 and a half years of sobriety. It took me a while to find the right angel.
When God Closes a Door …
Like many journalists, Emeri O’Brien fell victim to the economic turmoil in the newspaper business. Here’s how she coped with being laid off from her dream job.
Activist William Barber II urges blacks in Congress to mobilize poor voters
The Rev. William Barber II brought his message about supporting the needy to the Capitol, urging an “emergency convening” hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus to mobilize poor voters in the upcoming election.
A Call to Black Leaders to Condemn Anti-Semitism
COMMENTARY: If he were alive, Martin Luther King, Jr. would call upon the moral leaders of the Black community to lift their voices in support of our Jewish brothers and sisters, a community from out of the trauma of the Holocaust understood persecution and hate and stood with the Black community during the Civil Rights Movement. I know because I was there.
What is Kwanzaa Really About?
Perhaps you may attend a Kwanzaa celebration at your church or even participate in Kwanzaa in the comforts of your own home, but do you really know why? What is Kwanzaa and why do so many African Americans choose to celebrate the holiday?
Do you eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day?
Don't see the audio player? Click here. Many Southerners and African Americans eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. Down South, African Americans often ate them because they were cheap and filling. Some believed they offered hope of freedom or prosperity...
Reflections of Christmas Past and Present
“I may not understand His thoughts or His ways, I will not lean to my own understanding; I will trust Him in all that I do. I hope the Christmas season brings you as much joy as it brings me. And always remember: Jesus is the reason for the season!”
Commentary: “Advent-ually” Christ will return and make all things new
As we begin this Advent season, Pastor Chris Armfield shares some hopeful reminders to Christians who are weary and find themselves struggling will loneliness, anxiety, and fear.
Who’s an evangelical and who gets to decide?
COMMENTARY: Virtually every week we get another story of how evangelicals love President Trump, no matter what he does. Pundits likewise offer much analysis of the reasons for evangelicals’ undying fidelity. But the idea that Fox News-watching religious Republican voters are a stand-in for all evangelicals is ludicrous.
10 Commandments of Social Media for Christians
How should you engage the “clap back” and “cancel culture” world of social media? Here are “10 Commandments” of social media for Christians.
The Reconciliation Supper Club
For ten years we broke bread regularly across racial lines, and it changed us forever.
Fatherlessness Is Not Fatal
Despite what experts tell us about the devastating effects of absentee dads, growing up without an earthly father does not have to be a death sentence or a ticket to delinquency. The real danger lies in forgetting our heavenly Father.
Teaching hope during the 2020 campaign season
Election campaigns inspire hope, but they can also quickly lead to political despair. A scholar says young citizens can learn how to take positive action and stay hopeful.
From a black male teacher: Don’t make me the default disciplinarian
Through all of the laughs, head-shaking moments, phone calls home, and “come to Jesus” conversations to come, I grew into my role. It was a combination of teacher, mentor, cheerleader, father figure, critic, guidance counselor, advocate, and even social worker.
Rosy Image of US Equality Glosses Over Systemic Racism
Dr. Tsedale Melaku talks about race relations in America today, the Black Lives Matter movement and the stereotypes that still engulf the question of race.
How a courtroom ritual of forgiveness absolves white America
The show of grace and forgiveness toward Guyger, like those before it, requires that we ask some hard questions. What if “grace” and “forgiveness” and their compulsory racialized performance are part of what makes this anti-black world keep on ticking?
Halloween and the Holy Ghost
Is it a foolish glorification of all things wicked and evil, or just a fun holiday that celebrates the adrenaline rush of being scared and collecting tons of candy? Is there a right choice for Christians?
What the Story of Cyntoia Brown Should Teach Us
In his book “Restored at the Root,” Bishop Joseph W. Walker III of Mt. Zion Baptist Church wrote about what Americans — and the church — can learn from stories like Brown’s.
What did church teach the students posing in front of Emmett Till’s marker?
The young men may not go to church. They may not even be Christians. But in an area known as the “Bible Belt” the cultural influence of Christianity is strong. How the church influences the racial understanding of white Christians deserves probing.
The Marathon
COMMENTARY: It can be an eerie feeling to see everyone around you accomplish the same goals that you have for yourself. But I’ve come to accept that everyone’s race is different, and people don’t achieve things at the same time.
Donor-funded journalism is on the rise in Africa: why it needs closer scrutiny
Western aid has resulted in an Anglo-American culture of journalism education, which has proven impractical to implement in African countries with nonliberal political regimes.
Seeing Jesus in the Migrants at the Border
COMMENTARY: Jesus sees all of the crowds of migrants, harassed and helpless and fleeing from a home where they are no longer safe to journey to a place they have never been. He wants us to see them, too.
Why Christians must support religious freedom for everyone
The fundamental human right of religious freedom is under attack around the globe today like never before. While this disturbing trend should concern everyone, it should be particularly alarming for Christians, because a Christian worldview requires us to care about religious freedom — including the religious freedom of others.
A Father’s Day Reflection: Nobody Throws a Parade for the Bad Guy
Nobody will admit it, but everybody needs someone to tell him or her the truth to their faces without blinking. No matter how hard or harsh that truth may be it must be told. So be Dad. In the midst of those that would kill the messenger, be Dad.
Hip-hop’s mourning for Nipsey Hussle shows beauty can be found in brokenness
“Central to hip-hop culture and community is the violent context and the resilient life that survives within it. The pairing of difficulty and survival is the history of hip-hop.” — Jonathan Brooks, pastor of Canaan Community Church in Chicago