Posts in Evangelicals
By ‘Focusing On The Family,’ James Dobson Helped Propel Evangelicals Into Politics

(ANALYSIS) For decades, one name was ubiquitous in American evangelical homes: Focus on the Family. A media empire with millions of listeners and readers, its messages about parenting, marriage and politics seemed to reach every conservative Christian church and school. And one man’s name was nearly synonymous with Focus on the Family: James Dobson.

Read More
‘Shiny Happy People’ Has Worn Out its Welcome

(OPINION) Back in 2023, I wrote that I was “both frustrated and mesmerized” by the first season of this docuseries. “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets” was a behind-the-scenes story of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their children, the stars of the TLC hit television series “19 and Counting” and a number of spin-offs. 

Read More
How Churches Help Local Public Schools in Various Ways

As students head back to the classroom, they’re likely to see the impact of local churches in their schools this year. A Lifeway Research study found that four in five U.S. Protestant pastors identify at least one way their congregations have engaged with local public schools in the last year. Only 18% of churches say they weren’t involved with area schools.

Read More
Liberty Seeks Dismissal of Trans Termination Lawsuit Citing Religious Freedom

Liberty Counsel has filed the opening brief to seek dismissal of a wrongful termination case brought by a former Liberty University employee who hid his steps to transition and identify as a female during the hiring process.

Read More
Brent Leatherwood, Head Of SBC’s Public Policy Arm, Resigns

Brent Leatherwood has resigned as president of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, ending nearly nine years of service that began in 2017 as director of strategic partnerships. The ERLC Board of Trustees accepted Leatherwood’s resignation in a called meeting Thursday in Nashville, gratefully noting his character and achievements in the role he began in 2021 in an acting capacity before becoming president in 2022.

Read More
250 Years Of Faith and Service: Army Chaplain Corps Celebrates Historic Milestone

As the U.S. prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary next year, another significant institution hits that milestone this week. The Army Chaplains Corps formed on July 29, 1775, at the behest of the Second Continental Congress and the request of General George Washington. The Navy Chaplains Corps would follow in November of that same year.

Read More
Gaza’s Christians Feed The Starving Across Faith Traditions

“A love offering from the Baptist Church in Gaza” proclaims the sign as Christian Mission to Gaza serves hot meals to both Christians and Muslims in the Gaza Strip, where people are starving to death. CMG served about 2,000 hot meals over the weekend July 24-26 in the name of Gaza Baptist, said Hanna Massad, who served as the church’s first Palestinian pastor before founding CMG. But the meals only touch a small fraction of those in need.

Read More
So What If Preachers Endorse Political Candidates?

(ANALYSIS) Unless a federal court challenge succeeds, American clergy are now free to endorse political candidates in sermons during worship. The Internal Revenue Service has just erased the pulpit prohibition that for 71 years was among conditions to obtain federal tax exemption on income and donor gifts.  The impact is tough to predict.

Read More
Sacred Boundaries: Navigating Faith and Control in Kyrgyzstan

(ANALYSIS) Strolling through the streets of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, one easily gets the impression of walking through multiple cities at once. 

Read More
Evangelical Pastors More Likely To Be Bivocational These Days

Working nine to five doesn’t cut it for many pastors. Neither does working strictly at one church. The National Survey of Religious Leaders (NSRL) report revealed 35 percent of all clergy in the U.S. serve bivocationally, holding an additional job outside of their congregational ministry.

Read More
Welcome Back, Carter: Faith Helps Texas Rangers’ ‘Little Savior’ Overcome Setbacks

Evan Carter helped the Texas Rangers win the World Series in 2023. But Carter — still just 22 — has faced multiple challenges over the past two seasons. He talked to Religion Unplugged about his journey as a ballplayer and, more importantly, as a person of deep Christian faith. “Baseball is what I do, but I try and not make it, as the cliché goes, who I am,” he said.

Read More
⛪️ Conviction And Controversy: Pastor John MacArthur’s Legacy 🔌

When a high-profile religious leader dies, it’s always fascinating to see what words various news organizations choose to encapsulate that person. Such is the case with this week’s passing of the Rev. John MacArthur — after his hospitalization for pneumonia — at age 86.

Read More
Influential Evangelical Preacher And Author John MacArthur Dies at 86

Longtime pastor, author and teacher John F. MacArthur died July 14 after a short battle with pneumonia. MacArthur, 86, pastored Grace Community Church in the Los Angeles area for 56 years. “At the center of Dr. MacArthur’s ministry was an unwavering commitment to declare God’s truth, and Pastor John preached the Word in season and out of season,” the church said on its website. 

Read More
IRS Allows Churches to Endorse Candidates: Will Much Actually Change?

(ANALYSIS) A 1954 law barring churches and pastors from endorsing or opposing candidates for public office will no longer be enforced, the Internal Revenue Service said.

Read More
How Distinctive Are Evangelicals, Really?

(ANALYSIS) Evangelicals struck a middle path. They did not make the mistake of turning inward completely, nor did they capitulate to the larger culture either. Instead, they still managed to interact with the world just enough while maintaining their cultural distinctiveness on things like sexuality, abortion, divorce, etc.

Read More
Bill Moyers Saw What Newsrooms Missed: Faith Still Matters

(ANALYSIS) Moyers died on June 26 at the age of 91, after a long and complex career in which he served as a speech writer and press secretary for President Lyndon B. Johnson, followed by decades of work with CBS, NBC and PBS. However, before that, the Rev. Bill Moyers was a Southern Baptist pastor in Texas towns like Brandon and Weir. He was proud of those roots and his convictions as a progressive Baptist.

Read More
Bodies Of 7 Evangelical Christians And A Relative Found In Colombia

The bodies of seven evangelical Christians and a relative were found July 1 in a shallow grave in the Guaviare province in south-central Colombia. The six men and two women had been reported missing since April.

Read More
A Pitch To Follow Jesus: Baseball Fans Embrace Players’ Faith Testimonials

On a recent 78-degree Saturday afternoon, a U.S. flag and the Detroit Tigers’ four World Series championship banners — from 1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984 — flapped in the Comerica Park breeze. For nearly four decades, Home Plate Detroit has brought fans together to pray and hear player testimonials. In the Motor City and elsewhere, these events mix a faith-based message with a major league game.

Read More
New Trump Commission Displays DC’s Religious Power Grid

(ANALYSIS) Despite the disruptions of global economics and trade, and a couple dozen other hot disputes, let's not neglect such perennial realities as the way religion can affect politics, and vice versa. As President Donald Trump promised, this is a central aspect of his agenda, underscored by the recent establishment of the new Religious Liberty Commission.

Read More
A Trip Through ‘Flyover Country’ Reminds Me Of What’s Important

It’s always nice to reconnect with Warren Maye, a long-time EPA board member who runs the communications operation for the Salvation Army. And every time I see him, I remember how — long ago — the Salvation Army changed the trajectory of my family.

Read More