Efrem Smith on the death of George Floyd and what divides white and black Christians
(RNS) — Too many white evangelicals are silent about the death of George Floyd and the racial divide of the American church.
Liberty professor resigns after Falwell’s ‘Governor Blackface’ tweet
(RNS) — The professor, Christopher House, said that Falwell’s tweets ‘undermine my very presence in the online classroom, because those images were created to perpetuate the presumed incompetence of black folks in any classroom.’
Trained in rebuilding after disasters, NC Baptists now distribute food boxes
(RNS) — With a USDA grant, Baptists on Mission, an auxiliary of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, is remaking itself as a food distribution network in the wake of the coronavirus.
George Floyd's ministry friends say he was their 'OG,' a 'man of peace'
(RNS) — ‘He was like the OG of the neighborhood and made sure that we were welcomed in ... in the Bible we call it a ‘person of peace.’ He helped us and allowed us to operate in his neighborhood.’
How Ravi Zacharias changed the way evangelism is done
(RNS) — Even in today’s ‘cancel culture,’ where disagreement typically leads to vitriol, Zacharias had a gift for disarming hostility with gentleness, humor and respect.
In the wake of yet more anti-Black violence: We must ‘fight the freeze’
(RNS) — I'm numb. The kind of numb that doesn't mean you can't feel anything but that you feel all the things at once and don't know how to name it or what to do about it.
Amid pandemic, the Wichita Kenyan community unites virtually through food and family
(RNS) — ‘Every weekend, we are cooking to take food to socialize,’ Teresia Wambugu said. ‘Now, we’re not going anywhere. But for some people that’s good. We had forgotten about God. Families weren’t eating together. Now, they are home like a family.’
Walking back Metaxas’ tweet on Biden to blackface days
(RNS) — Biden’s comment was, as many have pointed out, inappropriate and offensive for its presumption to speak for African Americans. Metaxas’ tweet, however, was worse.
United Methodists reschedule meeting — and decision on splitting — to 2021
(RNS) — United Methodists plan to head to Minneapolis for their General Conference in 2021, where they will discuss the denomination's future. The meeting was postponed for more than a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Meet eight pastors who pushed to keep their churches open
(RNS) — How church leaders have fought back against government orders to restrict their gatherings.
Breakaway Anglican group that left Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth wins property fight
(RNS) — The Texas ruling may be the first time that a breakaway diocese has prevailed in a legal fight over church property.
‘AKA Jane Roe’ and the humiliation of the pro-life movement
(RNS) — The FX documentary about the Roe v. Wade case is another humiliation of pro-lifers in the media. But humility is what it takes to be truly in favor of the protection of the unborn child.
More than $689,000 raised for small churches at risk of closure during COVID-19
(RNS) — Although the relief fund will end at the end of the month, the initiative will transition to regional, city and state-based ‘Churches Helping Churches’ efforts.
Fear won't win the coronavirus fight
(RNS) — Fear breeds fear. The more we focus on it, the more exaggerated and distorted it becomes. Fear keeps us from loving deeply, giving freely and dreaming wildly.
For white churches, race should not be an ‘over there’ problem
(RNS) — Though the social hierarchy of race comes at the expense of women and men of color, the work of deconstructing it must be done by those who constructed it.