Last weekend, I attended the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's Advocacy and Action retreat in Phoenix, AZ. We visited Oak Flat and learned how a mining project will disturb Apache sacred grounds and cause an environmental catastrophe. You can read more about it in my weekly column.

Such a great reminder!

@rmitchrandall.bsky.social: "What makes [Greg] Abbott’s comments so alarming is the capitulation by both public and private universities to right-wing demands. Universities are eliminating DEI offices and reviewing departments under the scrutiny of Republicans." Read more: ow.ly/ZSR550XomCv

This is a must-read from Starlette Thomas!

I love writing for @goodfaithmedia.bsky.social! It was wonderful to see @rmitchrandall.bsky.social and Missy at Freedom Rising Conference! goodfaithmedia.org/author/grace...

Have you ever had an experience and thought to yourself, "What just happened? Could that have been my long-lost relative visiting me from the beyond?" If so, you will love this episode of Good Faith Stories. Subscribe and listen!

Craig Nash reminds readers about the colossal problem of food insecurity in the U.S. The problem is so enormous that local food banks and churches cannot come close to handling the need. We need government intervention.

Randall Balmer discusses the suburban-style megachurch, with all of its entertainment and food courts.

Starlette Thomas reminds readers that racialized policing has been around for decades. It's time to stop it!

"...Grace always places us in a posture of humility. A posture that extends God’s grace to ourselves and those around us." —Rev. Erica Whitaker Whitaker is COO and Teaching Professor of Preaching at BSK Theological Seminary. Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/nIAJuRPP6JY?...

Craig Nash asks some important questions.

Steven R. Harmon is an expert in Baptist-Catholic dialogue and collaboration. Good Faith Media was honored to send Dr. Harmon to the Vatican during the latest Conclave that produced Pope Leo XIV. Check out Dr. Harmon's latest book about that moment at the GFM Bookstore.

Starlette Thomas brings the hammer: By June of this year, roughly 300,000 African American women had left the workforce. In addition, Trump is targeting African American women in high-profile positions.

Good Faith Media kicks off our fall giving campaign. Please consider donating in support of independent media. With attacks on media and news outlets ramping up across the country, it's never been more critical to support small media organizations like GFM.

Caleb Lines from ProgressiveChristianity.org writes a terrific article on deconstruction and the importance of constructing a progressive faith. goodfaithmedia.org/beyond-decon...

Grace Ji-Sun Kim: Domestic violence is not a thing of the past, but is tragically very present among us. It persists in homes, communities and among church members. We cannot ignore or avoid this painful truth.

@rmitchrandall.bsky.social: "Because of this strong connection in Indigenous origin stories, Indigenous people understood their place within a symbolic ecosystem. The earth provided essential resources for humans: shelter, food, and tools." Read more: ow.ly/BYB550Xatzs

Let's take a break from the chaos of the world for a moment to talk a little about October baseball...a game I played and still love.

Justin Cox still believes people can change their minds...do you?

Erika Jackson-Essiem: "...I believed I had become what people whispered about—two children, two fathers, no marriages. A statistic. But I wasn’t a statistic. I was a story. And the systems around me were built to forget stories like mine. But God did not forget." Read more: ow.ly/s2Hm50X4l3W

Read the remarkable and inspiring story of Rev. Erika L Essiem.

Kali Cawthon-Freels attended an event where authors Rick Riordan & Mark Oshiro discussed their new book. To her surprise, they ended up doing something completely creative and meaningful - they began discussing the importance of inclusion, and you won't believe how the crowd responded.

The Raceless Gospel Podcast host Starlette Thomas talks about the #FirstAmendment this week in her column at Good Faith Media. Star points out the correlations between today and what happened in the 1800s during the height of #abolition.

Grace Ji-Sun Kim discusses the importance of remembering history to remind us of our origins, learn from our mistakes, and strive for improvement in the future. Unfortunately, some Americans are suffering from self-inflicted amnesia.

In recent months, two large media conglomerates, Paramount and Disney, have taught the country a valuable lesson: Americans love unregulated free market capitalism more than free speech.

Perhaps now, we can return to educating our children in Oklahoma without the distractions. Walters fails up by putting Oklahoma 50th in education, then lands a cushy job with the Teacher Freedom Alliance. If other states want to follow his example, then it's a race to the bottom.

Starlette Thomas: The five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. It makes me wonder what this added stage, fight, sets the stage for?

From my column: America needs strong public schools: a place where every student feels safe & nurtured, a place where facts can be trusted & education without bias is at the heart of the mission, & a place that empowers students to become the next generation of great human beings & citizens.

Sean Palmer: Until Americans confront the violent foundations of their national identity and develop alternative ways of resolving conflicts and organizing society, the sins of the fathers will continue to visit the children in increasingly tragic ways.

Great to be on @goodfaithmedia.bsky.social to share #EarthBound @orbisbooks.bsky.social @rmitchrandall.bsky.social amzn.to/4m7BdXT podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...

From my column: As I reflect on the Epstein case, his victims, and the overall evils that patriarchy has brought to the world, I cannot help but recall the stories of Dinah and Tamar.

Craig Nash: Hundreds of spiritual seekers, misfits, mystics and justice-advocates descended on Van Hoy Farms near Union Grove, North Carolina, on Labor Day weekend for the annual Wild Goose Festival (WGF).

Becky David Hensley: Propaganda, messaging, and rhetoric become ideologies. And if Trump has his way, MAGA ideologies will become our history.

Justin Cox: Southern Seminary is a place I’ve never been, and likely never will. Yet, I have felt drawn to it with a force as strong as gravity—a place I tend to think of in the same vein as El Dorado, Atlantis, Shangri-La.

De La Torre Miguel: I am currently living in fear. I say this not as a rhetorical hyperbole. I really, truly am afraid.

From my column: What’s the real reason behind the president’s order, an apparent overreach for political purposes? Is it really to needle his political enemies? Is he trying to “own the Libs” again? Or is there something more nefarious at work?

Randall Balmer: The vital task of patrolling the wall of separation between church and state, America’s best idea, has enlisted some unlikely allies over the years.

Starlette Thomas: We cannot discount the pain of the past or its ability to hurt the present. However, we can decide to put one foot in front of the other, to defy the odds daily with minor personal rebellions, to gain ground by slowly but surely making room for ourselves.

From my column: During a time when the U.S. Supreme Court appears to be setting aside judicial precedent to strip fundamental rights from underrepresented citizens, there was one judge in New England who epitomized a judicial standard many of the justices would be wise to adopt.

Dobson is learning that he followed a God who did not practice the parenting advice he espoused. Instead, he's experiencing what the unconditional love of Jesus is all about.

Michael Chancellor: From my vantage point, the Baylor administration’s recent decision to return a significant gift from the Baugh family has the putrid smell of fear.

Peggy Haymes: The animals in our lives invite us to be better humans. If we are wise, we learn to accept them, even with their imperfections.

Ken Sehested: Apparently, it was tea and crumpets at the Vlad-and-Donnie showdown. You knew something was up when Our Dear President applauded Putin as he descended the stairs of the Russian presidential airplane—dwarfed next to Air Force One—onto a red carpet, no less.

From my column: From the onset of the American experiment, white supremacy has played a significant role in shaping the country. From the electoral college to voter suppression, white supremacy makes and enacts the laws, and when those no longer work, they change them to benefit those in power.

Kali Cawthon-Freels: Beloveds, we’ve seen some difficult headlines this week. Most notably, the Supreme Court has been formally asked to consider overturning Obergefell v Hodges, the case that legalized same-sex marriage.

Anna Parish: Growing up quiet and shy, the words I didn’t have the courage to say, I wrote.

Kerri Fisher: I lost five relatives this year. The two oldest and most revered women in our family both moved on after beautiful, wild and peaceful existences—despite all the attempts to mar, tame and disturb them during their century on earth as Black women.

At the beginning, 73% of Ukrainians believed in fighting until Russia retreated, with 22% saying Ukraine should negotiate an ending to the war as soon as possible. In aggregated data from the most recent surveys, 69% want a negotiated settlement, with 24% believing Ukraine should keep fighting.

Happy birthday @rmitchrandall.bsky.social

Harrison Litzell: "In January 2025, Amanda Tyler and I spent two days planning, filming and dialoguing to create the resource, Being Baptist in a Democracy." Read more: ow.ly/IhYf50WCNMW