Without the artistic and emotional contributions of gay people there would be no gospel music. This is the provocative and convincing claim made by Anthony Heilbut in his majestic new book, "The Fan Who Knew Too Much."

All of his heroic stories shaped who I am. I never questioned whether or not the miraculous things that occurred in the book of Daniel were really legit. Today, I found out that they were not and sat with my mouth agape and my heart tormented.

The black theologian James H. Cone ripped me open and laid me bare, not with a knife but with his book, "The Cross and the Lynching Tree." And what he exposed was my own personal story of faith connecting -- or failing to connect -- to the issue of race.

In order to connect with youth in our communities, we have to walk outside the church doors everyday and let the community know who we are and what we have to offer so they will choose us instead of a gang.

The following forward, written by the Rev. Dr. Raphael Gamaliel Warnock, senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, is an excerpt from the book 'A ...

Boom! The floor swayed. Glass fell at my feet. Someone shouted, "Hit the floor!" I dropped, flat on the ground. Silence. Then a stampede of feet. Police sirens. I looked up. There was a hole in the stained-glass window where Jesus' face had been.

While the truths The Rev. Dr. King spoke in 1963 endure, the churches and society are rapidly changing, raising new questions about what it means to uphold a vision for racial equality, equity and justice. There is urgency now, even as there was in 1963, to pray with our feet.

As we go about serving God and participating in God's reign, let us use more big words: Peace. Justice. Hope. Love. Say these words. People everywhere are waiting to hear us speak them again.

The election is behind us and President Obama in the White House for another four more years. But the issue of same-sex marriage lives on. It is a matter of church versus state, reverends contend.

One hundred and fifty years later, African American Christians continue the faith tradition of their enslaved ancestors and gather at a designated meeting space, the church, tonight, Dec. 31, 2012, to celebrate

Happy 36th Kwanzaa! Celebrated in the week between Christmas and the new year (Dec. 26-Jan. 1), Kwanzaa is based on seven principles: unity, self-d...

The most concerted effort to challenge church segregation was launched during the first half of the 1960s, when the same young people who were integrating lunch counters, parks and libraries took aim at white churches.

Jesus is a king who never rose so high that he couldn't see those who were down low. If we would see Jesus, we will look in places kings seldom go.

Some of us may not find our faith again -- not for a time. But Sunday will come just as sure as hurricane season, and people will need to gather and sing and pray. They will need to hold on to something real and stable and strong.

Not only did conservative Christians not adhere to their own principles embedded in their theology, but they also shirked their beliefs by acting in ways that were not "Christlike" because of their disdain for the president.

The current debate over same-sex marriage in many churches gives me a feeling of déjà vu. We are running to third instead of first. How can we talk about same-sex marriage or homosexuality for that matter without talking about sex and sexuality first?

In a continent where many churches are growing by emphasizing both the material and spiritual benefits of faith, Segun Ilori and Tedius Makwari represent different faces of a religious movement that can evoke both spiritual revival and disillusionment.