Mitch Randall

The Lost Epstein Files: What’s the real story? There are some missing files in the public obsession with the Epstein case: the victims.

Don’t forget the survivors! It’s because of their bravery and boldness that we’re even in this moment.

In Defense of a Free Press: The Heart of Democracy Continues to Beat I invite you to resist the urge to ignore or explain away this childish behavior. We are witnessing in real time Trump’s growing agitation with the press and the administration’s open hostility toward...

Cally Chisholm offers this critical analysis in defense of a free press and the First Amendment. President Trump has stepped up his criticism of the media recently, while inappropriately attacking female journalists.

The Lost Epstein Files: What’s the real story? There are some missing files in the public obsession with the Epstein case: the victims.

@rmitchrandall.bsky.social: While I applaud the release of the files and the potential prosecution of those named, we would do well not to place more emphasis on the political fallout than on the actual crimes being committed and the victims of these crimes.

Read more: ow.ly/EHaV50XvIZb

Digging Holes and Chasing Tumbleweeds: Protecting Mother Earth and Sacred Grounds Mother Earth is a gift from our Creator, a Creator who entrusted us to care for her. Therefore, let’s come together for the purpose of protecting the only resource we humans have before it’s too late.

Last weekend, I attended the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's Advocacy and Action retreat in Phoenix, AZ. We visited Oak Flat and learned how a mining project will disturb Apache sacred grounds and cause an environmental catastrophe. You can read more about it in my weekly column.

Raise the Bar: A Queer Pastor’s Response to SCOTUS and Marriage Equality You shouldn’t have to praise people for choosing not to do a harmful thing. Doing no harm should be the baseline assumption for how society works.

Such a great reminder!

Higher Education Under Siege: An Old Tactic for a New Era If the rising tide of authoritarianism and attacks on higher education is ever to subside, then people of good faith need to rise up and denounce the rhetoric of politicians, preachers and pundits lik...

@rmitchrandall.bsky.social: "What makes [Greg] Abbott’s comments so alarming is the capitulation by both public and private universities to right-wing demands. Universities are eliminating DEI offices and reviewing departments under the scrutiny of Republicans."

Read more: ow.ly/ZSR550XomCv

“If You See Someone Stealing Food, No, You Didn’t” Due to an ongoing federal shutdown, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits ended on November 1. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said funding for the program has run out, p...

This is a must-read from Starlette Thomas!

I love writing for @goodfaithmedia.bsky.social!
It was wonderful to see @rmitchrandall.bsky.social and Missy at Freedom Rising Conference!

goodfaithmedia.org/author/grace...

Good Faith Stories Religion & Spirituality Podcast · Series · In each episode of Good Faith Stories, we’ll bring you a collection of different stories tied to a theme. Unique and true stories as told by the people who l...

Have you ever had an experience and thought to yourself, "What just happened? Could that have been my long-lost relative visiting me from the beyond?" If so, you will love this episode of Good Faith Stories. Subscribe and listen!

Your Church Food Pantry Isn’t Enough: In Defense of Federal Programs No ‘Total Money Makeover’ program can pull someone out of poverty in a world that doesn’t require employers to pay living wages.

Craig Nash reminds readers about the colossal problem of food insecurity in the U.S. The problem is so enormous that local food banks and churches cannot come close to handling the need. We need government intervention.

By the Way | Willow Creek and the Cultural Idiom of Megachurches Despite this checkered history, there is no doubt that megachurches have reshaped American evangelicalism, if only because so many congregations have sought to imitate their techniques.

Randall Balmer discusses the suburban-style megachurch, with all of its entertainment and food courts.

Before Ice Raids, There Was Stop and Frisk Before ICE raids terrorized American neighborhoods, there was stop-and-frisk. In marginalized communities, where its members’ civil liberties have been historically threatened by organized violence, t...

Starlette Thomas reminds readers that racialized policing has been around for decades. It's time to stop it!

YouTube video by A Sermon for Every Sunday "Don't Other. Smother." (C48: Proper 25)

"...Grace always places us in a posture of humility. A posture that extends God’s grace to ourselves and those around us." —Rev. Erica Whitaker

Whitaker is COO and Teaching Professor of Preaching at BSK Theological Seminary.

Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/nIAJuRPP6JY?...

Kitchen Table Dog Whistles On its surface and to a degree, the impulse to highlight the financial situation of individuals, families and communities isn’t a bad one. However, several implications at play make the strategy feel eerily similar to the one Lee Atwater described almost 45 years ago.

Craig Nash asks some important questions.

Encountering Pope Leo XIV - by Steven Harmon Encountering Pope Leo XIV takes readers on a journey to Rome to follow the College of Cardinals of the Catholic Church in their preparations for the conclave to elect the successor to Pope Francis. Re...

Steven R. Harmon is an expert in Baptist-Catholic dialogue and collaboration. Good Faith Media was honored to send Dr. Harmon to the Vatican during the latest Conclave that produced Pope Leo XIV. Check out Dr. Harmon's latest book about that moment at the GFM Bookstore.

Why You Shouldn’t Ask African American Women to Save You From the Dangerous ‘Mediocre White Man’ “You have to work twice as hard to get half as far.” It is a truism shared with African American children in preparation for the unfair reality of a white supremacist society. Based on their experienc...

Starlette Thomas brings the hammer: By June of this year, roughly 300,000 African American women had left the workforce. In addition, Trump is targeting African American women in high-profile positions.

Good Faith Media: Coming Alive for an Inclusive and Just Gospel Good Faith Media is committed to serving people of faith and institutions through education, inspiration, and advocacy for a gospel without limitations. GFM is a nonprofit fully dependent upon the gen...

Good Faith Media kicks off our fall giving campaign. Please consider donating in support of independent media. With attacks on media and news outlets ramping up across the country, it's never been more critical to support small media organizations like GFM.

Beyond Deconstruction Progressive Christianity at its best embraces the facts of the universe while reaching toward deeper truths.

Caleb Lines from ProgressiveChristianity.org writes a terrific article on deconstruction and the importance of constructing a progressive faith.
goodfaithmedia.org/beyond-decon...

Breaking the Silence: Domestic Violence Awareness Month We must teach and preach a vision of God that empowers rather than oppresses, and develops relationships rooted in mutuality and respect rather than domination.

Grace Ji-Sun Kim: Domestic violence is not a thing of the past, but is tragically very present among us. It persists in homes, communities and among church members. We cannot ignore or avoid this painful truth.

Indigenous Peoples Day: Origin Lessons that Might Save Us The world will never have peace unless we embrace the symbiotic nature of our existence, which will propel us towards lasting peace—a peace of the soul, mind, and body.

@rmitchrandall.bsky.social: "Because of this strong connection in Indigenous origin stories, Indigenous people understood their place within a symbolic ecosystem. The earth provided essential resources for humans: shelter, food, and tools."

Read more: ow.ly/BYB550Xatzs

October Baseball: Exactly What I Need Right Now Baseball transcends all the world has to offer, helping me overcome a bad day or encouraging me with the successes of life.

Let's take a break from the chaos of the world for a moment to talk a little about October baseball...a game I played and still love.

Why I Still Believe People Can Change On an ordinary church night filled with idle banter, I witnessed the extraordinary: change.

Justin Cox still believes people can change their minds...do you?

Never Out of Place: Grace, Grit, and the God Who Kept Calling I, who once feared being found out, was now being called forward. Not in spite of my journey, but because of it.

Erika Jackson-Essiem: "...I believed I had become what people whispered about—two children, two fathers, no marriages. A statistic.

But I wasn’t a statistic. I was a story. And the systems around me were built to forget stories like mine.

But God did not forget."

Read more: ow.ly/s2Hm50X4l3W

Never Out of Place: Grace, Grit, and the God Who Kept Calling I, who once feared being found out, was now being called forward. Not in spite of my journey, but because of it.

Read the remarkable and inspiring story of Rev. Erika L Essiem.

Remembering What We Are Fighting For If we’re fighting only for the sake of fighting, we’ll lose. If we remember we’re fighting to preserve joy, perhaps we’ll make it through.

Kali Cawthon-Freels attended an event where authors Rick Riordan & Mark Oshiro discussed their new book. To her surprise, they ended up doing something completely creative and meaningful - they began discussing the importance of inclusion, and you won't believe how the crowd responded.

Freeing Speech: Why Who Can Speak and Who Cannot Matters “It’s a free country.” That’s what we said on the playground as children, usually in defense of our right to say what we want. But America has never been a free country—at least not for everyone.

The Raceless Gospel Podcast host Starlette Thomas talks about the #FirstAmendment this week in her column at Good Faith Media. Star points out the correlations between today and what happened in the 1800s during the height of #abolition.

Resisting Historical Amnesia to Build the Kin-dom of God The gospel calls us to build not an empire but the kin-dom of God—a community of justice, love and peace.

Grace Ji-Sun Kim discusses the importance of remembering history to remind us of our origins, learn from our mistakes, and strive for improvement in the future. Unfortunately, some Americans are suffering from self-inflicted amnesia.

It’s Time to Support Independent Media If giant media conglomerates are allowed to centralize their power and authority, then they will consolidate their messaging and control the flow of information for generations to come.

In recent months, two large media conglomerates, Paramount and Disney, have taught the country a valuable lesson: Americans love unregulated free market capitalism more than free speech.

Oklahoma Education Chief Who Promoted Bibles in Schools Will Resign

Perhaps now, we can return to educating our children in Oklahoma without the distractions. Walters fails up by putting Oklahoma 50th in education, then lands a cushy job with the Teacher Freedom Alliance. If other states want to follow his example, then it's a race to the bottom.

The Murder of Charlie Kirk Prompts Different Responses to Grief The murder of Charlie Kirk, who co-founded Turning Point USA (TPUSA) with Bill Montgomery, a retired businessman and Tea Party activist, continues to draw polarizing reactions online, resulting in rea...

Starlette Thomas: The five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. It makes me wonder what this added stage, fight, sets the stage for?