The Black Church Is Getting Back Into Politics. It Never Really Left.
Every few election cycles, someone in national media “discovers” that Black churches are political institutions, as if this were breaking news. It isn’t. It’s the load-bearing wall of Black civic life in this country, going back to before Reconstruction, and it’s doing exactly what it has always done this year, ahead of the November 2026 […]
The Black Church Is Getting Political Again for the Midterms. That’s Not a Compromise of Faith — It’s the Tradition.
As Black congregations mobilize voters ahead of November, the old debate resurfaces about whether the pulpit should touch politics at all — but that debate misreads the Black church’s own history, and misreads what the moment actually requires.
The Reentry Program Working Better Than Government’s – And It Meets in a Sanctuary
A national network of Black churches is scaling its reentry ministry from 50 congregations to 250, betting that faith communities — not just government programs — are the missing infrastructure for people coming home from incarceration. Marcus Hart on why that bet is right.
The Church Was Never Supposed to Be Milwaukee’s Mental Health System. It Became One Anyway.
With Black men underserved by clinical mental health systems, Milwaukee’s churches have quietly absorbed a role no one assigned them — first responder for pain with nowhere else to go. Marcus Hart on what that role actually requires, and where faith alone runs out of road.
Voting Rights After the VRA: Why Black Churches Are Doing the Job Washington Won’t
Earlier this month, the National Baptist Convention U.S.A. Inc. — one of the oldest and largest historically Black denominations in the country — opened a Center for Social Justice steps from the U.S. Capitol, directly across the street from the Supreme Court. The placement isn’t subtle, and it isn’t supposed to be. NBCUSA President Boise […]
Churches Are More Diverse Than Ever. Pastors Are Preaching About It Less. That’s a Problem.
New Lifeway Research data shows Protestant churches growing more racially diverse while pastors grow less likely to preach on racial reconciliation. Marcus Hart argues that silence from the pulpit is its own kind of message.
Democracy Hubs: Should Churches Be in the Voter Turnout Business?
A growing interfaith movement wants churches, mosques, and synagogues to serve as democracy hubs ahead of the midterms. Marcus Hart on where that idea is faithful civic duty – and where it risks becoming exactly the partisan capture faith communities should resist.
Church Attendance Is Falling. The Religious Right Is Rising. Black Faith Doesn’t Fit Either Story.
National data shows organized religion shrinking even as the religious right gains political power. Marcus Hart on why that binary leaves out how most Black faith communities actually practice belief — and what that means for public life.
Your Church Is Now a “Democracy Hub.” Here’s What That Actually Means Before November.
A coalition representing more than 1,500 congregations across nine states has launched Faith in Us, calling churches, mosques and synagogues to become democracy hubs ahead of November. Marcus Hart looks at what that role actually requires, and where it can go wrong.