There have been many unexpected consequences of the pandemic — from continued issues surrounding supply chains to a volatile housing market. International travel understandably has been limited, but this reduction in travel also has affected the number of international students…
How does the period before the Civil War resemble our current social climate?
Taking lessons from history can be challenging. History is not static. It is not one thing, and historians are constantly revising and changing their interpretations and frameworks for thinking about the past. It may not be helpful to compare the…
Why there’s a challenging future ahead for Baptist seminaries and future faculty
In the next five to 10 years, moderate and progressive-leaning Baptist institutions of theological higher education are going to have to make some difficult decisions. Theological education generally has been struggling for quite some time. The high watermark of church…
What should pastors do if their members helped incite the Capitol riots?
In the wake of the recent attack on the United States Capitol by insurrectionists, American members of the clergy should take time to reflect on their responsibility not only as religious leaders but as civic leaders. Ministers might not, and…
If we don’t value our denominational colleges, do we value their faculty?
The current pandemic places great challenges on many facets of American religious life, perhaps none greater than small denominationally affiliated colleges and universities, many of which already were struggling financially well before the current crisis. While these challenges are institutionally…
This will be on the test: What’s the difference between ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’ education?
“Secularism” often functions as a catch-all bugaboo for religious circles in the United States, and concerns that culture is becoming increasingly secular raise fears among American Christians in particular. In the case of public education, there remains a myth that…
Mark Dever says in-person worship is essential to biblical Christianity
While national attention has been focused on the West Coast battle between pastor John MacArthur and Los Angeles County over public health restrictions, a new challenge has emerged on the East Coast by another prominent Calvinist pastor, Mark Dever. Only…
Drinking our way through the pandemic and out of temperance
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the ways in which Americans relate to alcohol, and it might be threatening the legacy of America’s temperance movement. A recent report from NPR noted that alcohol sales have increased dramatically since the start of…
Do Southern Baptists need a rebranding?
In the midst of a turbulent summer of police violence against Black Americans, the pressure for institutional fixtures of American society to examine the legacies of their names never has been greater. Now the Southern Baptist Convention, according to the…