In a blog post, the pastor talks about why black lives matter. He says it's part of what he considers his mission to challenge assumptions in his congregation. The phrase is controversial because people would prefer him to say all lives matter. "It very much harkens back to that conversation he had with his black mentor," she said.
Evangelicals make up about a quarter of the population in the United States and are part of the nation’s largest religious group. But lately the movement is in crisis.
The biggest issue is church attendance. Many churches closed at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and struggled to reopen while congregations thinned.
But a smaller audience isn’t the only problem: Pastors are quitting, or at least considering doing so.
Guest: Ruth Graham is a national correspondent covering religion, faith and values for The New York Times.
Background reading:
For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.