Author: Shalem John

Waves of sirens pierced a quiet summer afternoon at home. In an area with multiple hospitals, sirens are a normal part of life. But this Friday in August 2025 was different—the sirens screamed in from multiple directions for more than 30 minutes, prompting a scan of our neighborhood Facebook page. An active-shooter situation was unfolding at the campus of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just one mile down the road as scores of fire trucks and police cars flooded in from city, state, and federal agencies. The shooter, angry about the effects of COVID-19 vaccines, had killed…

In April 1996, Richard Smallwood and his choir, Vision, released Adoration: Live in Atlanta. The groundbreaking gospel album featured the anthem “Total Praise,” which Smallwood would later refer to as “the song that changed everything.” Later that year, Whitney Houston performed Smallwood’s “I Love the Lord” in the blockbuster film The Preacher’s Wife.  By that time, though, Smallwood had already established himself as one of the most influential composers and performers in gospel music. He had been a major figure in the niche for decades, and he was committed to reaching new generations with his music and his message by…

Signs and stickers still show up around college campuses. Digital ads appear online, and the occasional billboard brazenly advertises a way to help women become “un-pregnant.” Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization created a path to end almost all surgical abortions in Texas and other states with abortion restrictions, but stopping out-of-state advertisements and shipments of abortion pills hasn’t been as easy.  In 2023, the abortion pill (typically a two-pill regimen consisting of mifepristone and misoprostol) was already responsible for approximately 63 percent of abortions in America. Since the Food and Drug Association (FDA) loosened restrictions in 2021, a doctor…