Commentary
Inflation boosts demand at food banks as pandemic anti-hunger measures fall away
While President Biden recently signed the Keep Kids Fed Act, extending free meal programs for schoolchildren, many stopgaps funded during the pandemic have ended or are only available in some states.
From Freedom to Freedom: Memory & The Space Between
We are caught in the space between. No longer enslaved on plantations, but not yet with a freedom fully realized.
‘Blessing of Elders’ lauds 7 Black Christian luminaries at Museum of the Bible gala
Well-known names from the world of gospel music and the Black church gathered at the Museum of the Bible to hail the contributions of African American churches and to call for continued efforts toward building unity and bridging divides.
UF Ministry in the Barbershop
The barbershop serves as a default counseling center and community center for many Black men. But for barbers who are believers, it becomes a place for ministry.
Race Is Often Used as Medical Shorthand for How Bodies Work. Some Doctors Want to Change That.
Scientists widely agree that race is a social construct, yet it is often conflated with biology, leaving the impression that a person’s race governs how the body functions.
The Original Juneteenth-An Interview
UrbanFaith sat down with Valerie Boyer, an educator, minister and Galveston native to talk about the history of Juneteenth and its meaning today as a federal holiday in the United States of America.
A Freedom That Can’t Be Stolen
As many are focused on celebrating Juneteenth and freedom, are you still in emotional chains due to injustice?
Faith, Fatherhood, and Football The 2% Way Interview with Myron Rolle
How do you balance fatherhood with football and neurosurgery? UrbanFaith sat down with Dr. Myron Rolle to discuss his tactics and testimony in his book The 2% Way.
Pots and Kettles
Something I’ve always struggled with while studying the bible is the relationship between the Old Testament and New Testament.
Why Don’t We Celebrate Pentecost This Year?
Pentecost is one of the most important days in scripture, one of the most important days in Church history, and one of the most significant days for all Christians because it is the birthday for the Church. But it is a day that often passes with little celebration and attention in the lives of many believers. Why don’t we celebrate Pentecost?
Criminal justice algorithms: Being race-neutral doesn’t mean race-blind
Justice is supposed to be “blind.” But is race blindness always the best way to achieve racial equality?
Healing the Divide: An Interview with Derwin Gray
UrbanFaith sat down with Derwin Gray to talk about his new book How to Heal Our Racial Divide
Honoring God And Sharing Your Gift: Wisdom from Otis Kemp
Gospel Artist Otis Kemp shares a few key nuggets of authentic wisdom for people trying to be a blessing while being blessed.
Holiness: An Interview with Jackie Hill Perry
Why is it so hard to trust God sometimes? UrbanFaith interviewed Jackie Hill Perry about her new book Holier Than Thou which helps us answer that question.
Half of churches say Sunday school, other education programs disrupted by pandemic
Sunday school and other Christian education programs have suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic, with half of congregations surveyed saying their programs were disrupted
Uncompromising: An Interview with Steve White
Steve White, the President of Comcast uplifts the impact of his mother as he discusses his book Uncompromising with UrbanFaith in this interview!
Movement to build affordable housing on church land reaches Florida
As Miami-Dade County in Florida grapples with a housing affordability crisis, houses of worship are being recruited to build affordable homes on vacant or underutilized church land.
Students of color in special education are less likely to get the help they need – here are 3 ways teachers can do better
When compared to white students with disabilities, students of color with disabilities are less likely to get needed help. But that can be addressed.
Grand Rapids pastors mobilize in wake of fatal shooting of Patrick Lyoya
Pastors in Grand Rapids, Michigan, are taking action as the city reels in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Patrick Lyoya by a Grand Rapids police officer on April 4.
Balance: Interview with Touré Roberts
UrbanFaith sat down to interview Touré Roberts, the visionary leader and founder of ONE (formerly OneChurch LA) to discuss his new book Balance. Touré Roberts is a man who wears many hats. He is a husband, father, producer, pastor, author, speaker, and...
How do skeptics explain the resurrection of Jesus?
Ever since Jesus died on the cross, critics of His resurrection have tried to explain His empty tomb.
Give Me Your Feet: A Maundy Thursday Reflection
A reflection on the rite of footwashing that Jesus initiated long ago with his disciples, a rite that accents many Maundy Thursday services in the Christian church.
Holy Tuesday Devotional
As we journey through Holy Week, enjoy these devotionals!
Surprise deliverance: When Freedom Shows Up
Isn’t it time to try freedom with a Savior who understands and loves you?
The forgotten story of Black soldiers and the Red Ball Express during World War II
These Red Ball Express trucks and the Black men who drove and loaded them made the U.S. Army the most mobile and mechanized force in WWII
Faithful Service: An Interview with Stacey Abrams
UrbanFaith sat down with Stacey Abrams for this EXCLUSIVE interview to talk about faith, family, public service, voting rights, and her historic run for governor.
A Constant reminder of His goodness
God wants us to multiply and grow in the blessings He has bestowed upon us as we willingly obeying Him.
Why the future of the world’s largest religion is female – and African
More and more Christians live outside Europe and North America, especially in Africa – and women are central to that story.
Whose vote counts? Whose doesn’t?
The push for voting rights is a moral imperative and requires the urgent passage of nationwide voting rights legislation.
Marcus Garvey’s Dark Mirror
In NPR’s February 17th episode of Throughline, Marcus Garvey takes center stage as an enigmatic, underrated, revolutionary figure on a mad quest to reconnect former American slaves to their motherland via the Black Star Line.
Small oil producers like Ghana, Guyana and Suriname could gain as buyers shun Russian crude
As the U.S. and Europe cut back purchases of Russian oil, and energy traders shun it for fear of sanctions, the search is on for other sources
Making religious sense of climate change on small islands
The latest report from the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows that one crisis is not taking a pause while we settle another.
Andrew Young, at 90, views his civic, political roles ‘as a pastorate’
Andrew Young a former civil rights leader, Georgia congressman and United Nations ambassador said every stage of his adult life has been a form of ministry.
TERRAFORM: An Interview with PROPAGANDA
UrbanFaith sat down with artist and now author PROPAGANDA to discuss his new book Terraform: Building a Better World.
The Freedom of Discipline: A Reflection
A reflection on how faithful discipline through the Holy Spirit can be liberating rather than restricting from childhood to adulthood.
When God is honored
There are seasons in our lives when God sends people who have the ability to change our lives completely by their influence, authority and endorsement.
What do students’ beliefs about God have to do with grades and going to college?
The U.S. is the most devout wealthy Western democracy. Does a religious upbringing influence teens’ academic outcomes?
‘Pray for Ukraine’: Religious leaders call for peace and God’s protection
“Pray for Ukraine!” Prayers for Ukraine in the midst of the invasion by Russia echo around the world.
Black seminary grads, with debt higher than others, cope with money and ministry
Black ministers who pursue seminary often take on greater debt in order to serve churches across the nation.
Whoopi Goldberg awkwardly demonstrates how the idea of race varies by place and changes over time
How did Whoopi Goldberg’s comments on the view become such a spectacle? And what does it tell us about the social norms guiding how we talk about race and violence?
How 18th-century Quakers led a boycott of sugar to protest against slavery
Buying items that are fair trade, organic, locally made or cruelty-free are some of the ways in which consumers today seek to align their economic habits with their spiritual and ethical views. For 18th-century Quakers, it led them to abstain from sugar and other goods produced by enslaved people.
Wrong Lanes Have Right Turns: An Interview with Michael Phillips
Michael Philips’ book Wrong Lanes Have Right Turns details his journey, his context, and his perspective on one of the most important topics for us everyday: how to educate our children and dismantle the school to prison pipeline.
The world united to pray to save the boy in the well. Why not children who die in war?
Over the past week, much of the world was gripped by the heartbreaking story of Rayan, a 5-year-old boy who had plunged 104 feet into a well in Morocco.
Quitting online church is abandoning the one for the 99
With online church, disabled people — including me and my family — were welcomed to church in more ways and more often than ever before. Let’s keep that up
A God with a heart for the marginalized
A lot of times, in the midst of trial and tribulation, one can feel as though no one sees or understands the plight they are going through. However, in Deuteronomy 24 we see the thoughtfulness of God.
Biden Administration’s Rapid-Test Rollout Doesn’t Easily Reach Those Who Need It Most
In the past week, the Biden administration launched two programs that aim to get rapid covid tests into the hands of every American. But the design of both efforts disadvantages people who already face the greatest barriers to testing.
Will my book be banned?
This power of books — to create new realities for readers — is why there’s something particularly heinous about banning books. Right now, regressive forces in our land are coming up with lists of books that should be banned from schools.
Sidney Poitier – Hollywood’s first Black leading man reflected the civil rights movement on screen
Poitier, who died at 94 on Jan. 7, 2022, broke the mold of what a Black actor could be in Hollywood.
Why an HBCU Med School Decided to Put CARES Act Money Into Students’ Pockets
After deep consideration, Meharry Medican School’s administration decided to give roughly a third of its CARES Act funding directly to its future doctors, dentists and public health researchers.
As Congress debates, Black Baptist leader calls denial of voting rights ‘evil’
(RNS) — On the day of a major voting rights debate on Capitol Hill, a social justice coordinator for the Progressive National Baptist Convention said fighting for voting rights is an effort to conquer evil. “This convention practices a ministry of erosion,” said the...