Opinion

In ancient Greek mythology, Scylla and Charybdis were the names of two sea monsters situated on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Italy. Today those monsters represent COVID-19 and poverty.

A census is not a spiritual matter, but numbers play an important role in church life. Numbers are a bit like a temperature. It is a first line of judgment but not the only one.

Southern Baptist pastor Alan Cross reflects on controversial comments on slavery by Louie Giglio and says that perhaps it’s time for white American evangelicals to rethink what privilege and blessing mean to us.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to infect millions around the world and kill hundreds of thousands, we shouldn’t make the mistake of only considering the dangers of the microbiological world. This time is also revealing the plague within us with which we’ve infected others.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the wow factor. It’s those moments or things in your life that make you instantly pause and have a profound moment of appreciation. If you’re lucky, it sometimes even takes your breath away.

In the streets of Washington, D.C., we have seen religion used as a political prop and we have seen it exercise its prophetic voice.

Amid the recent marches in all 50 states and several other countries against racial injustices, we’ve seen the crumbling of some of the building blocks of white supremacy. Literally.

Please and thank you are phrases that we all are used to saying. We say them so much that they may seem like formalities. Even if they are formalities, they are important to say and hear. In a way, Psalm 116 emphasizes the importance of “please and thank you” in our relationship with God. 

In my lifetime, I have never seen more white people involved in the deep and growing movement to address systemic racism, structural injustice on many fronts, and, specifically, the violent policing and killing of black people. Never. What does that mean? What will it change — and how?

I took part in a racial justice protest in New York City. It was lively and joyous and passionate — until police ran up from behind, cornered a group of us and detained us, assaulting people in the process.