For the past 10 years, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Mississippi has had four coordinators and a couple of interims, but only one administrative assistant — and everybody knows her. Deenie Grubbs has been the face, and more specifically the…
Becoming human despite our fear
In the past month we have seen one set of fears replaced by another, which has made the deep division within American society even more visceral. President-elect Donald Trump recognized the fear in many Americans and leveraged that fear for…
High (tech) priest
Baptists are well known for our belief in the priesthood of all believers. This is a deep seated conviction that individuals do not need another person to intervene between the human and divine. Every human has the capacity and responsibility…
Post-apocalyptic Downton Abbey
“Downton Abbey” is a six-season drama based on one aristocratic family in England who navigates the treacherous period before and after World War I. As the 1920s come rushing in, the English aristocracy faces a cultural shift that will bring…
In a divided society, maybe we should shut up and listen
Years ago my oldest child, who was in kindergarten or first grade at the time, came home from school and told me that he heard one of his classmates use the “S” word. I was like, “Ah, ‘S’ word! Not…
Life — and church — in a box
My life is in boxes right now. As I prepared to move from Connecticut to Mississippi, I packed over 40 boxes of books in my office. We have gone through each room, and while there is still a lot to…
Whiteness and racial identity
White privilege is mostly a non-experience for white people. White people are not criminalized because of their race, which is why a white man can carry an AR-15 in public and only receive a qualified response from police officers, while unarmed African-American men and boys are killed.
Navigating between innovations and traditions in faith
This past month I had a unique opportunity to attend two conferences. One was at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., and the other was at Columbia University in New York City. While the topics were very similar, there was…
Incredulous me: The postmodern dilemma
Several weeks ago I was reading through the Doubting Thomas passage from the Gospel of John when I stumbled upon an image from the 17th century. In 1601-1602, the famous Michelangelo Caravaggio painted the scene where Jesus is guiding Thomas’s…