Majority white churches can learn from the spiritual practices Black believers have cultivated for centuries. Lent is a season of darkness just before the light that comes with the celebration of Eastertide—a time where we are reminded of our mortality. It is a period of reflection, repentance, and preparation when we seek the Lord in…
Four other congregations with female pastors were also determined to be not in “friendly cooperation” with the SBC, as well as one removed over its abuse response. One of the country’s biggest and best-known megachurches, Saddleback Church, is no longer a part of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) after bringing on a female teaching pastor…
Even our most beautiful rituals and reflections can’t bring relief from the reality of death. I started going to Ash Wednesday services when I was working in New York City, in an office a few blocks from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. From the sidewalk, the cathedral is intimidating, all filigree and turrets….
The Premier League winger known for his faith was killed in the earthquake in Turkey. Christian Atsu kicked his last goal on February 5. He ran up to the soccer ball and slammed it with his deft left foot, shooting it past 10 opposing players and a goalie in the fifth minute of extra time….
Conversions credited to women evangelists sharing the good news one-on-one in conversations. Tanuja Ghale saw a young woman on the street in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and told her she was beautiful. The woman started weeping. “Her husband had beaten her the same morning and told her that she was the worst woman in…
The way out of overcommitment runs through God’s temple. I often begin writing a new song—or even something as ordinary as a letter to a friend—because I have seen a spark, a shimmer of God’s renewal in the world. But sometimes I have to weather a few false starts. Some seeds we plant seem to…
Until a chance encounter with my mom’s old Bible opened my eyes. I grew up a small-town country boy in Ohio, the youngest of eight. Our home was a Christian home, and as a child I heard the message of salvation many times. I remember asking Jesus into my heart on our family stairway when…
Jesus, when he rose from the grave, was mistaken for a gardener. It is my favorite story. It is often when conditions seem the most damp and dark, when the rain has poured and patience runs thin, that green shoots of new life will begin to emerge. The seed that has died and been buried…
Forgiveness, photography, and funeral feasts: these nuanced and lesser-known stories are worth a read. One of my favorite aspects of my role as CT’s senior editor of audience engagement is that I get to read every article we publish. One impact of that reading is that I know when a story doesn’t get the attention…
Christians have always been called to love place and neighbor over the power of state. In sixth grade, I won my first college scholarship in a local Veterans of Foreign Wars essay contest on the question “What does it mean to be patriotic?” My winning entry fetched $50, enough for at least half a textbook….
