-
3 weeks ago | 
juicyecumenism.com | Mark Tooley |Rick Plasterer |Sarah Stewart
A recent critique of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission evinces the decline in Protestant institutions, which is bad news for America. Nearly all U.S. Protestant denominations are declining, conservative and liberal, though the liberal ones are declining much faster, as American Christianity becomes increasingly nondenominational or post denominational.
-
3 weeks ago | 
juicyecumenism.com | Rick Plasterer |Mark Tooley |Sarah Stewart |Wyatt Flicker
Mark Ryan, Adjunct Professor of Religion and Culture at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, and formerly Director of the Francis A. Schaeffer Institute spoke on the recently published (2024) book by Richard and Christopher Hays, The Widening of God’s Mercy: Sexuality within the Biblical Story, at the annual L’Abri Conference in Rochester, Minnesota on February 15.
-
4 weeks ago | 
juicyecumenism.com | Rick Plasterer |Mark Tooley |Sarah Stewart |Wyatt Flicker
A panel of Latin American human rights activists discussed the challenges to religious freedom in three Latin American countries at the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C. on February 5. Kristina Arriaga, formerly Executive Director of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and Vice-Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom moderated the panel. CubaMario Felix Lleonart, a Cuban human rights activist and formerly a Baptist pastor in Cuba spoke first.
-
4 weeks ago | 
juicyecumenism.com | Mark Tooley |Sarah Stewart |Wyatt Flicker |Methodist Voices
Here’s my interview with Professor Mike Austin of Eastern Kentucky University, co-editor of QAnon, Chaos and the Cross: Christians and Conspiracy Theories, Soundcloud audio, YouTube video and transcript below. I hope you will find this talk informative.
-
4 weeks ago | 
juicyecumenism.com | Sarah Stewart |Wyatt Flicker |Methodist Voices |Mark Tooley
The Institute on Religion and Democracy hosted the Rev. Dr. Richard Allen Hyde, Pastor of Community United Church of Christ of San Carlos, to deliver our Wednesday Worship sermon on March 26. Dr. Hyde, a Congregationalist minister, spoke to the IRD staff on the passage of Isaiah 55:3-11 and “Before We Were the Land’s.”Video of the worship service can be accessed below as well as text of the sermon.
-
1 month ago | 
juicyecumenism.com | Sarah Stewart |Rick Plasterer |Wyatt Flicker |Mark Tooley
The United Methodist Church’s (UMC) official public policy arm is partnering with an LGBTQ caucus to offer pastors a course in Queer Theology. Offered by the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) and the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN), the course is among the latest changes following last year’s United Methodist General Conference.
-
1 month ago | 
juicyecumenism.com | Wyatt Flicker |Mark Tooley |Sarah Stewart |Jeffrey Walton
An LGBT caucus group within the United Methodist Church is seeking to construct an ecclesial response to Trump Administration moves to end federal Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs.
-
2 months ago | 
juicyecumenism.com | Sarah Stewart |Davison Drumm |Sarah Carter |Mark Tooley
Since the last General Conference took place, the United Methodist Church in West Virginia (WVUMC) has insisted that all viewpoints on sexual matters will be respected and that individual churches can act in accord with their conscience. Recent conference actions demonstrate that this is not the case. The WVUMC chose to update its Safe Sanctuaries policy to include a section on “LGBTQ+ Youth” and, despite its vague language, it is anything but inclusive.
-
2 months ago | 
juicyecumenism.com | Mark Tooley |Marc LiVecche |Rick Plasterer |Sarah Stewart
This week IRD hosted the German delegation to the National Prayer Breakfast 2025, including members of the Bundestag (Germany’s chief legislative body) and leaders of Christian civil society, for a discussion on Religion and Politics in Germany. We were treated to a fascinating exchange that featured IRD Board Chair Paul Marshall. Video of the event is below via IRD’s Facebook page and will be made available on IRD’s YouTube channel shortly.
-
2 months ago | 
juicyecumenism.com | Riley Case |Marc LiVecche |Rick Plasterer |Sarah Stewart
As noted in part 1 and part 2 of this essay, 2025 marks the 500 year celebration of Anabaptism. It was in January, 1525, that George Blaurock, a former Catholic priest, was baptized by Conrad Brebel in a “believer’s baptism” (ana-baptist—to be baptized again) in the home of Felix Manz in Zurich, Switzerland. Anabaptists were soon persecuted. Many were martyred. They proposed a challenge not just to the church (primarily Roman Catholic but also Lutheran and Reformed) but also to the state.
