Our lack of concern for character in our leaders is impacting our ability to meet the great moral crises of our time.
What Chronic Back Pain Teaches Me About Pastoring
As a healthy, 37-year-old pastor, I confess that sometimes I struggle to relate to congregants with chronic illness and pain. That has changed.
Is it racist? Applying reason as well as biblical truth
How do we assess claims of “I am not a racist” widely used by those who engage in racist comments and behavior or defend others who do so? Applying different forms of reasoning can help.
Core Baptist convictions can offer a deep well of wisdom for today’s cultural challenges (part 2)
Our historic convictions as Baptists are not a liability in today’s environment. They are a deep well of wisdom and strength. When we lean into what makes us uniquely Baptist, we truly can make a difference in the world.
Core Baptist convictions: After 400 years are many of us uncomfortable in our own skin?
Some Baptists are ready to ditch “brand name” Christianity for Christian evangelical mono-culture, ready to run a congregation of called and baptized believer-priests as a corporation and ready to forget that we ever were these people called Baptists. I’m not there just yet.
Why I spoke out against Virginia’s ‘Bible bill,’ and why you should too when it comes to your state
Has the holy word of God been reduced to a prop to win points with a political base? Those who support so-called “Bible bills” claim to love the Scripture, but I believe tossing the Bible into a partisan wrestling match betrays that claim.
In a culture of shouting, people of faith must address America’s listening deficit
How can Christians demonstrate how to listen deeply in a culture of shouting, especially when listening to shouting is so spiritually and emotionally draining? Only out of listening – and hitting a personal pause button on all the feigned and manufactured social outrage – do I actually have a voice.
Damaging fundamentalist theologies aside, in Advent we proclaim Christ’s return and re-creation
Now that we have passed the midpoint in the journey of Advent, it’s helpful to remember that Advent is an unfamiliar word for many in our world and in our evolving American culture. It’s a “churchy” word, like Lent or…
Preaching every week in a divided culture – and trying not to lose my voice
Pray regularly for your pastor, week in and week out, because discerning and speaking a word from the Lord is an ever-present challenge and sometimes a heavy burden.