Commentary

Retiring Bishop Vashti McKenzie, first AME Church woman prelate, reflects on a groundbreaking career

(RNS) — Just-retired Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie is an apologist for an adaptive style of leadership. It's what has helped her succeed as the first woman to hold many roles in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. And it's a style of leadership she said was needed...

Why Should Christians Have Churchwide Conferences?

We all look forward to summer vacations, summer hours, and summer…denominational general conferences? Many Christians ask, why are we having these conferences? Why are these issues being debated? Why aren’t we just doing what the Bible says?

With Harris and Hannah-Jones, Howard University is on a roll

With the surprise twin hiring of two of the country’s most prominent writers on race, Howard University is positioning itself as one of the primary centers of Black academic thought just as America struggles through a painful crossroads over historic racial injustice.

Cooking Up Success In Community: An Interview with Chef Q

UrbanFaith sat down with Chef Q who is the Executive Chef & Owner of Q1227 restaurant outside of Sacramento as he shared his recipe not only to survive, but thrive as an restauranteur, person of faith, and community catalyst in the midst of the pandemic.

States want to prevent schools from telling the truth about racism in America. Here’s what educators can do about it.

At least half a dozen states have introduced legislation to prevent the teaching of Critical Race Theory in schools. So what is the solution?

Black community has new option for health care: The church

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Every Sunday at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, the Rev. Joseph Jackson Jr. praises the Lord before his congregation. But since last fall he's been praising something else his Black community needs: the COVID-19 vaccine. "We want to continue to...

Slave-built infrastructure still creates wealth in US, suggesting reparations should cover past harms and current value of slavery

The fact that centuries-old relics of slavery still support the economy of the United States suggests that reparations for slavery would need to go beyond government payments to the ancestors of enslaved people to account for profit-generating, slave-built infrastructure.

NIH director: We asked God for help with COVID-19, and vaccines are the ‘answer to that prayer’

To help explain the role of faith groups in the national vaccine push, Religion News Service spoke with Francis Collins, an evangelical Christian who also serves as director of the National Institutes of Health. Collins discussed the program, as well as his faith and how he views the intersection of religion and science. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

US prisons hold more than 550,000 people with intellectual disabilities – they face exploitation, harsh treatment

Prison life in the U.S. is tough. But when you have an intellectual, developmental or cognitive disability – as hundreds of thousands of Americans behind bars do – it can make you especially vulnerable.

Why is Juneteenth Becoming a Big Deal?

Why is this small commemoration that was lost from mainstream history now becoming such a big deal in the media? We share a few observations that I believe are making Juneteenth the new national Black summer holiday.

Trying to Avoid Racist Health Care, Black Women Seek Out Black Obstetricians

In addition to shared culture and values, a Black physician can offer Black patients a sense of safety, validation and trust. Research has shown that racism, discrimination and unconscious bias continue to plague the U.S. health care system and can cause unequal treatment of racial and ethnic minorities.

Racism Derails Black Men’s Health, Even as Education Levels Rise

More education typically leads to better health, yet Black men in the U.S. are not getting the same benefit as other groups, research suggests. The reasons for the gap are vexing, experts said, but may provide an important window into unique challenges faced by Black men as they try to gain not only good health but also an equal footing in the U.S.

Why people with disabilities are at greater risk of going hungry – especially during a pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed uncomfortable and distressing truths about American society: namely, the struggle many Americans face just getting by. Yet, while the pervasive food insecurity that has always existed in the U.S. became more visible, how the problem disproportionately affects people with disabilities has received less attention.

Finding Faith and Community on Virtual Campuses: An Interview with Shaylen Hardy

In the midst of the turmoil of a pandemic and national leaders of campus ministries sought to support Black students. I had the opportunity to interview Shaylen Hardy, the President of Intervarsity’s Black Campus Ministries, about her experiences and insight leading one of the largest networks of Black campus ministries through the pandemic.

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.

The death penalty’s last gasp?

State executions are not something most Americans want to see “return to normal” after the pandemic. Many of us would like to see the nine-month halt on state executions be “the new normal.” For the first time in my 45-year life, a majority of Americans are done with the death penalty. The states that held on to slavery the longest are the same states that continue to hold on to the death penalty.

The American Rescue Plan is welcome relief for faith communities

Our faith convinces us that we have a moral imperative to care for all of those left behind in this crisis. We need the support of our government, a government that works for all the people.

Philanthropists and politicians: Religion is not a problem to solve, it’s a partnership opportunity

Philanthropy, governments and other sectors should never instrumentalize faith, nor impose their values on faith communities. Instead they should partner with them.

“America Is Not Racist”-A Prophetic Reflection

For African Americans who watched the two addresses of President Joe Biden and Senator Tim Scott, their discussions of racism stood out.

We Need Servants of Peace, Not Soldiers of Fear

A broadened sense of fear can promote the tribal instinct to band together against a dangerous ‘Other.’

Can We Respond to George Floyd’s Case with Hope?

People breathed a sigh of relief for accountability by a law enforcement officer, but many noted that this guilty verdict could not bring restoration of George Floyd’s life. There is still much violence in the land and great need for God’s intervention.

Prayer, Praise, and Prostitutes

What I couldn’t wrap my mind around, God wrapped around my heart. A mission trip to the other side of the world made a world of difference inside of me.

Why Easter is called Easter, and other little-known facts about the holiday

A scholar explains the rich historical roots of Easter and how it has evolved over the centuries.

How to Judge Your Pastor’s Daughter

A real-life pastor’s daughter shares the four questions every congregant or curious person should ask before they judge their spiritual leader’s children.

We need school leaders who reflect the students they serve

Because seeing is believing ‘I can, too.’

Can Science and Faith Co-Exist?

What happens when scientific discoveries clash with your beliefs? Discoveries and theories in regards to evolution, cloning, and astronomy may seem to come into conflict with classical interpretations of the Bible.

How public schools fail to recognize Black prodigies

Anti-Black bias and lack of teacher referrals are keeping Black students out of gifted school programs, a scholar suggests.

On Being a Woman of Power and Purpose

As many women strive to be powerful and independent they sometimes appear to lose the benefits of womanhood. Or do they?

End-of-Life Decisions an Act of Justice

Making healthcare decisions bears witness to the power of agency, advocacy, and the humanity of African-Americans. For some, it may seem like just a document, but for us it is an act of resistance, and an act of freedom and justice.

Seeking unity, Biden should look to Nelson Mandela

Biden has knelt with Black Lives Matter protesters, an act of reverence for the lives that have been lost to violent and racist policing. What if he stood now with police chiefs committed to positive reform, perhaps at an interfaith prayer service, an act of commitment to a more perfect union?

‘This is something I can do now’: What Kamala Harris’ ascension means for girls of color

Across America, Black, brown, and Asian students look to the Biden administration with hope, pride, and great expectations.

In a pandemic holiday, women still do it all

The load of invisible labor is especially high for women during the holidays. Will the pandemic exacerbate it — or finally liberate them from it?

’Tis the Season to Be Laid Off

Are you facing the holidays as one of the growing number of people in the unemployment line? Here’s honest advice from a guy who’s been there and lived to work again.

Black Leadership Matters

COMMENTARY: The rallying cry of “Black Lives Matter” reminded Americans of who we are and what we’ve suffered at America’s hands. Because Black lives are obviously precious, Black leadership matters more than ever. The time for decisive action is now.

Why do so few clergy serve in Congress?

It would seem like a natural fit: Americans are still very religious, while members of the clergy often possess the rhetorical skills and community ties that can launch political careers.

Food for the Soul

During this season of thanksgiving, gathering around the table for soul food reminds me of the profound African American story of which I’m a part — but also of how that story is tied to God’s greater story of redemption.

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.’

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.