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.
If Jesus came to church today
I’m not sure Jesus would come to church today. But if he did, there would be plenty of drama.
Florence is a reminder: does your church have a preparation checklist for severe weather?
Churches are often wonderful in terms of mobilizing volunteers after a storm, but Hurricane Florence got me thinking: How can my church be a presence for good in the lead-up to the storm?
Christian nationalism and the looming death of religious liberty
We must resist the ungodly and un-Christlike movement of Christian nationalism with all our might. We must decry it in our pulpits. We must soundly reject it with our votes. The future of religious liberty for all depends on it, as does the future of our nation.
The eccentric nature of religious freedom and true dissent
As often as we Baptists seek the approval of “kings” and power brokers, we show disdain for our own heritage, including forebears who were locked up, beaten and even killed for daring to dissent.
6 questions for trustees of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Many SBC people have encouraged Patterson to retire for the sake of the SBC, which is incredibly tone deaf. He shouldn’t retire. He shouldn’t be moved to president emeritus, be given an indefinite teaching position and salary, housing for life, and be enshrined in an idolatrous stained-glass window. He should be forcefully terminated with cause, without severance pay, and be banned from campus for life for the sake of justice for those abused women he hurt with his misogyny, victim shaming, and silencing.
Paige Patterson, Mother’s Day and #MeToo
Sexual assault and harassment are unconscionable in all environments, but there is something especially vile about the culture in religion that often leads to the abuse and silencing of women.