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In 1951 British psychologist John Bowlby proposed something radical concerning human development. Bowlby proposed that love matters. And not just in a philosophical or a poetic sense. Love, he theorized,…

Maryland colonists enslaved Africans as early as 1640, but legislators did not begin to embed slavery into the colony’s legal framework until 1664. Four elements converged to launch Maryland’s quest…

Let’s start at the heart of the matter with a simple definition: What is the human capacity for spirituality? At the core of spirituality is the transcendent relationship, a dynamic…

by John Pavlovitz https://johnpavlovitz.com/2021/11/10/for-white-people-tired-of-being-called-racist/ "I’m tired of white people supporting a political party incessantly working to keep people of color from voting and feigning outrage at the suggestion they may…

Freedom and equality - regardless of religion or class status - were radical new ideas when the United States was formed. At the same time, the US economy was based…

by Susan K. Williams Smith             The late Congressman John Lewis said “our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year. It is the…

We all know at least a bit of the science of wound healing just by our life experiences. Our knees get scraped and blood oozes out. Soon it is sticky…

Mental health is one of the most pressing issues facing teenagers today. Diagnoses of anxiety and depression are occurring more frequently and at increasingly younger ages. And while mental health…

Why do I tell this story in light of the abuse and murder of autistic children? And why do I tell it using only the barest outline of facts? Because…

In the mid-1960s, the American Dream was as easy to achieve as it ever was or as been since, with good union jobs, subsidized home ownership, strong financial protections, a…

In 1654, mixed-race Elizabeth Key legally challenged her enslavement on the basis of three points: (1) British law barred the enslavement of British citizens; (2) British common law established the…

By Diana Butler Bass Shall the fundamentalists win this time? https://dianabutlerbass.substack.com/p/new-old-time-religion?s=r

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said faith leaders should name human rights abuses, call for a cease-fire and offer solidarity to those ‘at the receiving end of the violence.’…

I can remember talking with a Missouri pastor in the wake of the 2016 election about reticence in his church and among its leadership to publicly step into the fray…

By Susan K. Williams Smith  Out of my formal theological education, there were three definitions given that I cherish to this day. I grew up on a street that was…

The group Faithful America held a press call on Thursday that served as a platform for Christian leaders to speak out against the ongoing ReAwaken America megachurch tour. The tour,…

Ruby Sales, who Jonathan Daniels saved from Thomas Coleman’s shotgun blast, has continued to work for racial and economic justice. Sales says it’s important for our times to ask people,…

by Brandan Robertson https://www.patheos.com/blogs/revangelical/2020/03/06/why-progressives-moderates-need-each-other.html

Like most modern parents, Amy and I left the hospital with our son wanting to know “What do we do?” But our years of parenting and my work as a…

by Susan K. Williams SmithWhen African American soldiers served in World War I, they were treated by the French like human beings – not as property – for the first…

We have been deeply shaped by the stories we’ve told ourselves about God. We have also been shaped by the stories we’ve told ourselves about ourselves. The victor wrote our…