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Mel Williams: Singing our way to hope
Singing draws people together, comforts the grieving, motivates and inspires. But most of all, it gives us hope, writes a Baptist pastor emeritus and singer.
Performing arts
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Steve Bell's story serves as an invitation this season of repentance to reflect on how we turn toward God and our fellow creatures. Photo courtesy of Steve Bell
Gretchen E. Ziegenhals: This Lent, turning again and again to God and one another
When a church turned away from musician Steve Bell and his family, inmates at the federal prison where his father was a chaplain turned toward them, welcoming their brokenness and helping Bell discover a gift from God and a vision for what church can be.
Sanitation workers discuss their protest with the mayor of Memphis in a musical based on the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike, “Union: The Musical.” Photo by Alex Maness
Creators of a new musical pursue healing and reconciliation
“Union: A Musical” tells the story of the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers strike. But its real purpose is to spark a conversation about racial and economic justice in the communities where it is performed.
Joined by Urban Doxology staff, interns are all in as they get ready to perform a concert of their own worship songs. Photo by Mike Morones
Songwriting internship empowers young Christians to write 'soundtrack of reconciliation'
At the Urban Doxology Songwriting Internship, young musicians study theology and collaborate on worship songs that speak to the challenges of a diverse community.
Scott, left, and Seth Avett in a scene from a new documentary about their life and music called "May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers." Photo courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories
Jason Byassee: What the Avett Brothers tell us about goodness
The new film, “May It Last,” tells the story of the folk-rock band from North Carolina. But its real message is about virtue, says a theologian.
Harriet Ziegenhals was an organist, singer, pianist, composer, arranger, teacher and the founder-director of the Community Renewal Chorus, part of a faith-based Chicago mission agency that advocates for social and economic justice. Photo courtesy of Gretchen Ziegenhals
Gretchen E. Ziegenhals: Learning leadership through the metaphor of music
Years of watching her mother direct a chorus taught the author that leading a diverse community requires radical acceptance of all people, careful listening and a clear vision.
Excerpt from "Stakes Is High: Race, Faith, and Hope for America"
In this collection of columns written originally for The Huffington Post, the Rev. Michael W. Waters offers stories from the front lines and offers ways that he and others can live out their faith for the cause of social justice.
Photo courtesy of Michael W. Waters
Michael W. Waters: The church should embrace hip-hop
In his new book, “Stakes Is High,” an AME pastor writes about issues of justice, race and hope. In this interview, he also talks about why he thinks hip-hop can help revitalize the church.
Ryan Scramstad, Robert Salvador and Andrew Wheeler perform in Pacific Theatre's production of "The Rainmaker," directed by Ron Reed.
Photo by Emily Cooper, courtesy of Pacific Theatre
Ron Reed: I'm a Christian, but I don't do Christian theater
The founder of Pacific Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, talks about leadership, the arts and what it means to put on plays that ask spiritual questions from a Christian perspective.
In this scene from "The Barber of Seville," Christopher Tiesi is Almavivia, Emily Fons is Rosina and Jonathan Beyer is Figaro in Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ 2015 production.
Photos by Ken Howard
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis connects people through art
At a time when opera struggles with declining support and an aging audience, it is thriving in St. Louis. Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is using innovative approaches to make the art form more accessible while being faithful to a broader artistic tradition.