By The Christian Recorder In Ephesians 4: 1, the Apostle Paul urges us to “…walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have been called,” and Reverend William D. Watley, Ph.D., has done that and more! It is with a humble heart and reverential esteem that Reverend William D. Watley, Ph.D., announces his retirement […]
Category: Religion
Posted inBaltimore News
#ThethingIloveaboutBaltimore: Rev. Jerome Stephen moved to Baltimore City 50 years ago and never looked back
By Beverly Richards, Special to the AFRO The Rev. Jerome Stephens is a transplant from Plain Dealing, La., a small town north of Shreveport, La., 15 miles from the Arkansas line. Nearly 50 years ago, after graduating from college, Stephens bought a one-way ticket and caught a Greyhound bus to Baltimore. The plan was to […]
Posted inReligion
Historic Black churches receive $4M in preservation grants
By Aaron Morrison, AP National Writer Administrators of a trust fund established to preserve historic Black churches in the United States on Jan. 20 revealed a list of houses of worship receiving $4 million in financial grants. The list of 35 grantees includes 16th Street Baptist Church Inc. in Birmingham, Alabama, where crucial civil rights […]
Posted inReligion
Religious leaders sue to block Missouri’s abortion ban
By Jim Salter, The Associated Press A group of religious leaders who support abortion rights filed a lawsuit Jan. 19 challenging Missouri’s abortion ban, saying lawmakers openly invoked their religious beliefs while drafting the measure and thereby imposed those beliefs on others who don’t share them. The lawsuit filed in St. Louis is the latest […]
Posted inReligion
AFRO Agent of Change: Master Hilton Rawls III inspires the masses with his spirit
By Marnita Coleman, Special to the AFRO Just in case you haven’t heard, there is a new preacher on the circuit, who has earned the respect of fellow clergy from around the country. A third-generation preacher, Master Hilton Rawls III, has been seated at the table amongst renowned messengers of our time. With some skill […]
Posted inReligion
President Biden addresses Ebenezer Baptist Church for MLK Sunday morning service
By Deborah Bailey, Special to the AFRO As Rev. Raphael Warnock welcomed President Joe Biden to his pulpit on Jan. 15 – the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta – the historic moment was not lost on him. After all, it was Jan. 15, the actual birth date of the Rev. Dr. Martin L. […]
Posted inReligion
Keeping the movement alive: how the Black church continues to make social change
By Marnita Coleman, Special to the AFRO “The church must stand at the forefront of the struggle,” said Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in a 1957 address to a group of 300 ministers. More than a place of worship, the Black church is the sacred infrastructure of the Black community. Now, more than ever, […]
Posted inNational News
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and a letter to America
By Rev. Dr. C. Anthony Hunt, Special to the AFRO This year marks the 94th anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth in Atlanta. A son of Ebenezer Baptist Church, Dr. King’s life and legacy can be seen in his signature contribution to the human project — a reminder that whoever we are, […]
Posted inReligion
Faithful mourn Benedict XVI at funeral presided over by Pope
By Nicole Winfield, Giada Zampano and Frances D’Emilio, The Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis joined tens of thousands of faithful in bidding farewell to Benedict XVI at a rare requiem Mass Jan. 5 for a dead pope presided over by a living one, ending an unprecedented decade for the Catholic Church that […]
Posted inReligion
St. Timothy’s Christian Baptist Church to celebrate 50th anniversary in 2023
By Marnita Coleman, Special to the AFRO St. Timothy’s Christian Baptist Church, located in the West Arlington neighborhood of Baltimore, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023. The church was founded by the highly esteemed, Rev. Carl Washington Sr., who served as pastor for 47 years until his death in 2020. Following his steps, Rev. […]
Posted inReligion
#FaithWorks: How faith-based intervention is affecting recidivism rates one soul at a time
By Marnita Coleman, Special to the AFRO Author of “Eternal Justice: How God Intervenes for the Least of Us,” Philip Remington Dunn, has a passion for telling the stories of those he has crossed paths with as a criminal defense attorney and a man of faith. Dunn believes that those tangled up in the justice […]
Posted inBaltimore News
There once were three Black popes– will there be more?
By Ralph E. Moore Jr. With the recent death of retired Pope Benedict XVI, some little-known history of Black occupants of the papacy comes to mind. That history tells us there were three Black popes in Catholic Church history: Pope Victor I who headed the church from 189 A.D. to 199 A.D., Pope Miltiades (311 […]