Faith & Purpose
COMMENTARY: I had a teacher who looked like me
“It is imperative that my students feel like they matter, and that they are accurately represented in their classrooms. I want them to see someone who looks like them, shares similar experiences and provides authentic anecdotes to overcome the challenges they experience.”
Here are 4 Amazingly Simple Steps To Making Godly Decisions
Whether it’s the college we attend, the person we marry, the first home or car we purchase, or the city we move to, decisions are a part of our lives. And to some degree, we always feel like we have to make the right decision. But how do we know what the right decision is?
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.
Black minister to his mostly white ELCA denomination: ‘We need to rethink church’
The Rev. Lenny Duncan is not your typical Evangelical Lutheran Church in America minister. Duncan is the black pastor of a mostly Afro-Caribbean congregation in one of the nation’s least diverse denominations.
DE’LEICE R. DRANE ON HER EMPOWERING BOOK “LIFE IS…”
De’Leice R. Drane and Rev. Dr. Bernice King discuss Drane’s book “Life Is…: An Inspirational Book of Devotions, Prayers, and Empowerment.”
Could black philanthropy help solve the black student debt crisis?
Black charitable giving, in part, arose from the black church and fraternal organizations throughout the 1800s and 1900s with movements such as abolitionism, the Black Women’s Club Movement and the Civil Rights Movement.
A matter of faith: Democrats embrace religion in campaign
While Republicans have been more inclined to weave faith into their rhetoric, particularly since the rise of the evangelical right in the 1980s, several current Democratic White House hopefuls are explicitly linking their views on policy to religious values.
7 Ways to Survive Seminary for Students of Color
Feel like an oddball or invisible because your experience is different from a lot of the other students? Here are 7 ways to survive seminary for students of color.
Maryland has created a truth commission on lynchings – can it deliver?
The first truth commission to research lynchings has been established in Maryland. It has the potential to educate the public about and support racial reconciliation. But it also faces obstacles.
Gospel choirs try to build racial harmony through song
A number of choirs are dedicated to bridging black and white communities in metropolitan areas rarely associated with racial harmony.
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.
In African refugee camps, app replaces Bibles left behind
The digital library has done much to replace the reference books many South Sudanese churches lost to the tumult of the country’s civil war.
Psychiatrist Stays Close To Home And True To Her Childhood Promise
Yamanda Edwards is the only psychiatrist at Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, caring for residents in South Los Angeles, a community with a shortage of mental health care.
Easter Sunrise and the Risen Inmate
On Easter morning, God rejoices in the praises of His people from the church sanctuaries. But God also listens for the prayers of the prisoner. Will we also remember the prisoners and their families on Resurrection morning?
Isn’t Lent Depressing?
Dr. Monica Coleman explores how someone who lives with depression can actually like such a depressing time of the church year.
Lent and the Least of These
During this season of private devotion, it’s also important to ask ourselves, ‘What kind of Christian is God calling us to be in public?’
It’s Lent, Shhh…Don’t Tell Anyone
It’s time to stop talking about what we are giving up for Lent — or judging those who do — and start pressing into Lent quietly and in expectation of God’s reward.
Fighting urban violence, one empty lot at a time
Could cleaning up neighborhoods make cities safer? Researchers are looking at novel, inexpensive solutions to crime that everyone can agree on.
Women strive for larger roles in male-dominated religions
Women around the world have been finding new ways to chip away at centuries of male-dominated traditions and barriers, with many of them emboldened by the surge of social media activism that’s spread globally in the #MeToo era.
‘A personal legacy’: Quilts seek to honor lynching victims
People can look at the quilts longer than a lynching photo and take in the history, Quilting has long been a traditional medium for African-American art.
How to avoid the mundane and dream with purpose
You work all day, come home, eat something, unwind, go to sleep, and do it all over again. Before you know it, you’re caught in this cycle and your life has become the one word childhood dreams and imaginations dread: mundane.
Podcast Short: One teacher’s faithfulness had a remarkable outcome
God does exactly all He promises to do. He is absolutely trustworthy, so those who place their faith in Him can count on His faithfulness forever.
Podcast Short: A Vietnam War survivor promotes peace
Individuals and groups all across the world need to see models of peace and harmony among God’s people—especially in families, in churches, and between ethnic groups.
Marlin Briscoe reflects on days as pioneering quarterback
Marlin Briscoe didn’t want to be pigeonholed simply because of stereotypes against black men. He was a star quarterback in college, and he believed he had the talent, intelligence and leadership skills to be one in the pros.
Colorado linebacker finds balance between football and faith
As a Seventh-day Adventist, Taylor observed the Sabbath from sundown on Fridays to sundown on Saturdays during his high school days by resting and worshipping. On Friday night, he helped fill water bottles before games and then headed home for prayer.
In ‘gOD-Talk’ discussions, black millennials explore their faith, spirituality
African-American millennials are charting their own course when it comes to spirituality.
MUSIC DEVOTIONAL: SOUNDS AND SILENCES, #MondayMotivation
A music devotional to help us to remember that God’s silences are not absences.
A Tale of Two Farmers
Two farmers who work to make their communities healthier, happier places.
Ministries of Social Entrepreneurship
How social entrepreneurship is funding the work of grassroots urban ministers.
Civil rights legend Meredith says he’s on a mission from God
Meredith aims to confront what he sees as society’s “breakdown of moral character” by encouraging people to live by the Ten Commandments.
The Biggest Risk Facing Young, Black, Christian Men
The most frequent risk young, Black, Christian men face is being thrust into ministry too soon. An acute need for the unique blend of theological and cultural gifts these young men offer sometimes causes churches to send them out before they’re ready.
Will you recognize Him when you see Him?
On a day when I felt every right to be lost in my own weariness, a hungry stranger offered my sons and me the chance to feed Jesus.
14 Two-Minute Parenting Podcast Shorts
A compilation of two-minute parenting podcast shorts by Dr. Melvin E. Banks, founder of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.).
Honoring James Cone, founder of Black Theology
We would like to hear how Dr. James Cone influenced you. We invite you to share 200- to 250-word tributes on UrbanFaith.com. Send your tribute with your first and last names, city, state, and church affiliation (if desired) to [email protected]
Loving Past Segregation in America’s Churches
It’s no secret that Sunday morning is often referred to as the most segregated day of the week, when Christians of all races come together to worship among their ethnic peers. However, do most Christians prefer to fellowship this way, even in the most segregated areas...
Author Shares Journey on Beating the Odds in ‘Moments of Surrender’
Moments of Surrender: Revealing the Missing Pieces is a realistic walk through the growing pains of surrendering your life to God. The book is written by Author, Life Empowerment Coach, and Speaker Charlene Bolden who uses her journey from being a child in the foster...
Check Out These 5 Podcasts For Black Christian Millennials
RELATED: 25 Podcasts on Love & Life Hip-hop’s mourning for Nipsey Hussle shows beauty can be found in brokenness 30 Years of Christian in Hip Hop In case you’ve been hiding under a rock, podcasts have become all the rage in recent years. If you are a Christian there...
Will your gift really make room for you?
I am firm believer that we serve a just God. His love for us extends far beyond what we could ever imagine, and as a result of His grace, we are blessed with gifts and the opportunity to reach our full potential regardless of who we are and where we come from....
What to do when Jesus sleeps while the boat is rocking
Matthew 8:23-27 KJV 23 And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. 24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. 25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him,...
Are you unsure about your life’s purpose?
Purpose is a word that is on the minds of many millennials, however, for many it seems to be that piece of the puzzle that is hidden; That needle in the haystack that you are searching for. The frustration of figuring out what one is supposed to do is what seems to...
Why we need the Africa Study Bible
The internet is saturated with tons of information for all facets of life, including spiritual resources. In fact, if you do an Amazon search for something like study Bible results will include a wide variety of options. While scrolling down the list, you will find...
Women bloggers spawn an evangelical ‘crisis of authority’
(RNS) When Sarah Bessey started blogging in 2005, she saw it as a way to keep in touch with friends and family. And that was in the early days of the Christian blogosphere, which she remembers as an “oasis of community” — strangers sharing everything from parenting...
Crown of Thorns: One Woman’s Journey From Foster Care To Success
Shalita O’Neale is not your average survivor. The 34-year-old is a foster care graduate who took her experiences and used them as inspiration to create the Fostering Change Network, a nonprofit that creates avenues to a successful life while eliminating the stigma of...
Hospitality: What the First Century Church Teaches Us About Welcoming the Stranger
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2, NIV). Have you ever known someone who never meets a stranger? Folks who live their lives in such a way that nearly everyone they meet...
Kenyan pastors offer young people a token of love
NAIROBI, Kenya (RNS) On Valentine’s Day, some Kenyan pastors handed out red roses as a sign of love to HIV-positive youth suffering stigma and discrimination. The gesture was meant as a way to reach out to youth, many of whom feel rejected by the churches. “We came to...
President Obama designates historic civil rights sites including black churches
(RNS) In one of his last official acts, President Obama has designated Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and other civil rights landmarks in Birmingham, Ala., as the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. The designation protects the historic A.G. Gaston Motel in...
Rocking the Label: A Closer Look at the Millennial First Lady
Millennials are the largest generation since their parents, the Baby Boomers, and already are making their mark on society and the church. As many young women are marrying and beginning their new lives, some will also take on the responsibility of first lady—the wife...
Here’s why MLK Day is more than just another day off
As our nation continues to fight issues of social injustice and racial tension, many question whether or not the ideals memorialized on MLK Day hold true throughout the year.
Retired Ugandan bishop seeks restorative justice for former child soldiers
by Fredrick Nzwili (RNS) A retired Anglican bishop in northern Uganda is agitating for restorative justice – which emphasizes forgiveness and truth-telling over punishment – in a region where the wounds of a brutal war unleashed by the Lord’s Resistance Army persist....
Christmas Service Projects have more perks than you think
It’s that time of year again! December is here and so are all the many festivities of the season. But, what is all the fuss about? Why do we do whatever it is that we do every year? What is the real meaning of Christmas? Of course, as Christians, we are aware that...