Even when God seems distant, he is near, and we can know this because of his church, the gospel, and the power of prayer.

Sid Roberts questions, “When did the art of pleasant conversation and open dialogue end?”

Danny Pickens, director of missions for the Smith Baptist Association in Tyler, Texas, shares his background and thoughts on church and ministry.

When a sermon hides within a prayer, Mark Wingfield believes “it demonstrates a lack of thoughtfulness about the role of prayer in worship and denies the congregation a voice in prayer.”

Karl Vaters believes the church should become more digital but never at the expense of being a flesh-and-blood community of faith.

In a blunt interview, Jonathan Merritt interviews Baylor sociologist Rodney Stark on “the definition of religion, the nature of atheism and the benefit of heresy.”

When disasters strike, so do “second disasters,” when well-meaning givers offer donations that create more problems than they solve. How can people best help disaster-affected areas?

Citing Wendell Berry, rural pastor Chris McLain argues that small churches shouldn’t be relegated to a “resume builder” for new pastors.

Travis Bundrick, director of Strategic Church Solutions for the Williamson Baptist Association in Georgetown, Texas, shares his thoughts on church and ministry.

For The Week, Damon Linker questions whether the rise of “spiritual but not religious” people necessarily means the fall of the religious right.

Kevin Kim Wright calls for church leaders to emulate Amazon’s “innovative and adaptive” methods to better face today’s cultural shifts and changing demographics.

A director and a member of the Heritage Foundation assert that businesses should not have to comply with local government non-discrimination policies if they go against their religious beliefs.