Written by 
BY HEMANT MEHTA SEPTEMBER 23, 2020 There’s good news. So of course it’s not happening in the United States. In Germany, the Archdiocese of Cologne — the largest and richest archdiocese in the nation — is shrinking from 500 churches to 50 over the next decade. (Hey, for once, a good tithe!) That’s according to Wolfgang Picken, the […]
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 BY PAUL LOUIS METZGER Different attempts have been made to define and reflect upon “deep state”. Here are a few titles: “What Is the Deep State?”; “The Deep State Is Real?”; “Deconstructing the Deep State”; “President Trump’s Allies Keep Talking About the ‘Deep State.’ What’s That?”; and “Here’s the Memo that Blew Up the NSC.” Here’s how Merriam-Webster […]
BY HEMANT MEHTA SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 A pastor who said face masks were useless against COVID and opened up his church to in-person worship services during which masks were optional… is currently in the hospital recovering from COVID. So is his wife. So are five other staffers at the church. Maybe the most interesting thing about this […]
SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 BY GENE VEITH The Christian History site, sponsored by Christianity Today, has posted a fascinating article about the influence of Ethiopia on Luther and the Reformation. Wheaton theology professor Jennifer Powell McNutt, in her article An Unsung Inspiration for the Protestant Reformation: the Ethiopian Church, recounts how the Reformation–far from being an exercise in individualism–saw itself in […]
SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 BY GENE VEITH A majority of Americans, 52%, agree with the statement, “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.” That’s not surprising. But what is surprising is that nearly one-in-three (30%) of evangelical Christians also agree in rejecting the deity of Christ. That is one of the findings of the State of Theology study sponsored by […]
BY HEMANT MEHTA SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 A Catholic priest who was found guilty of sexually abusing a child was sentenced to a lifetime of… prayer. That’s the takeaway. The reality is much more complicated. In 2012, Rev. James Gaudreau (below), a priest working for the St. Joseph Parish in Boston, was accused of sexual abuse that allegedly […]
SEPTEMBER 10, 2020 BY GENE VEITH Historically, religions have sometimes used force to compel people to accept their teachings and to punish those who did not. This has been an issue with Catholicism, with its heretic-burnings and inquisitions, and has sometimes happened in Protestant communities. Luther, though, opposed coercion and punishment in matters of faith. Today, […]
SEPTEMBER 13, 2020 BY LEAH D. SCHADE The parable about the Unforgiving Servant shows us that forgiveness is essential – but so is accountability. My friend and faculty colleague, Emily Askew, is a theologian who used to volunteer for a domestic violence center. The stories she tells me of women who are abused by their husbands, boyfriends, […]
SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 BY GUEST CONTRIBUTOR I read recently an article from Life Way Research that said we now live in a day and age in the United States where one-third of all evangelical Christians do not believe Jesus is God. That is staggering to consider! Especially since Jesus Himself said in the Bible. John 14:6 I […]
SEPTEMBER 4, 2020 BY CHRISTY THOMAS I continue to ponder the long-term aftereffects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the health, and even survival, of churches. Will it survive the Covid-19 damage? As an avid reader of business news, I am aware that, while some businesses are thriving because of the crisis, myriads of others are going […]
SEPTEMBER 4, 2020 BY GENE VEITH According to a new study, over half of Americans (52%) who describe themselves as “Christians”–including 41% of evangelicals–believe that salvation comes from doing good works, rather than from faith in the saving work of Christ. And no wonder. The doctrine of the atonement–that on the cross Christ bore our sins and […]
AUGUST 4, 2020 BY MICHAEL STONE Because The Bible: Florida Christians are fighting a local face mask mandate, holding rallies and launching lawsuits while claiming that the mandate is “Biblically wrong” and “interferes with the ability to pray.” The Bradenton Herald reports: A Palmetto pastor and a state politician have sued Manatee County government over its mandatory […]
![Is White Supremacy Hiding Behind the Guise of “Diversity” [in US Churches]?](https://weareatheist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Screen-Shot-2019-03-04-at-2.41.27-PM.png)
MARCH 6, 2019 BY ANDY GILL Is White Supremacy Hiding Behind the Guise of “Diversity”? I mean probably but also, here’s why it shouldn’t really matter… How many people in 2019 drive past a church sign that says “All are welcome!” and think, “That’s definitely true!” Not too many. Feels like, at this point, the sign […]
BY BETH STONEBURNER JULY 17, 2020 During a Sunday service on July 5, Rock Urban Church in Grandville, Michigan showed the congregation a video promoting a number of QAnon conspiracy theories that include the idea that COVID-19 is part of some Democratic plot to ruin Donald Trump‘s presidency and that George Floyd‘s murder was staged. The church removed […]
JULY 4, 2020 BY KARL J. FOREHAND One reality of our political climate in the United States is that it divides us up into identifiable camps. While it doesn’t make for productive discussions, it does allow me to generalize without being too far off base. So, please understand that this is only my opinion and it […]
BY HEMANT MEHTA JULY 7, 2020 A few months ago, when the seriousness of the pandemic was finally making itself known, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act allowing businesses to borrow money from the U.S. government in order to cover costs (including salaries) during the pandemic without having to repay those loans […]
JULY 7, 2020 BY GENE VEITH Here is another word for you: Post-Protestant. The term refers to the Protestant mindset that continues, even though the Protestant religious beliefs that formed that mindset have faded away. In the course of an article on the current unrest in America, Mark Tooley–a conservative Methodist who has long battled the […]
JULY 7, 2020 BY KARL J. FOREHAND Recently people headed back to their favorite sanctuaries: bars, beaches and church buildings. All the other mass gatherings have abstained (except for one specific political candidate that shall remain nameless). I cannot even go sit in most restaurants; but, if I wanted to, I could go to a rural […]
BY HEMANT MEHTA JULY 7, 2020 One of the criticisms people like me have had about reopening churches (or schools) in the midst of the pandemic is that, unlike grocery stores, they are places meant for social gatherings. You can say you’ll practice social distancing all you want, but when people see their friends again — maybe […]
JULY 11, 2020 BY ERIN WATHEN Guest Post: Rev. Robyn Fickes Bles Last week I received the call every pastor dreads. A beloved member of your flock has passed away. Though this man had an incredibly full and long life, it is still a deep hurt for the church family. And during COVID-19 distancing, this ache […]