Fair warning up front: I’m going to mess with one of your favorite hymns today. Be prepared. But first, a story. As I was writing this lesson, I got a message from a friend whose beloved cat died Thursday. We…
Hobby Lobby founder gives $7 million to rebuild First Baptist Dallas
The founder of Hobby Lobby has donated $7 million to First Baptist Church of Dallas to help rebuild the 1890 sanctuary destroyed by fire last year. Pastor Robert Jeffress announced the gift during Sunday morning worship Dec. 8. The Hobby…
Upside Down Advent: Anxiety versus peace
I had the good fortune to spend three hours in the car with my son Garrett Saturday. He’s our avant garde jazz saxophonist and composer/arranger. He told me about a Substack he’s reading that’s written by a well-known figure in…
Texas midterms take a twist as another pastor enters the race
A single day of cascading campaign announcements threw a prominent Baptist pastor into a race for the U.S. House of Representatives Dec. 8. Frederick Haynes III, pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, filed to run for Texas’ 30th Congressional…
5 Baptist schools among Lilly grant recipients
Five Baptist-affiliated schools have received grants of $7 million to $10 apiece from the Lilly Endowment through its Pathways for Tomorrow Initiative. The Baptist-related schools are among 45 recipients in the latest round of large-scale collaboration grants from Lilly. Launched in…
Upside Down Advent: Despair versus hope
Here we are at Christmastime again, and ‘tis the season to be jolly. Right? Except what if you’re not feeling that jolly? Is that even allowed? Will you be consigned to binge watch Hallmark Christmas movies? If ever there was…
ChatGPT shows Trump’s Thanksgiving message is a platter of lies
The president of the United States continued his pattern of using key holidays to lob false accusations at his opponents and enemies, this time throwing in a slur that drew international headlines. In his Thanksgiving Day post on Truth Social,…
Hispanic voters turning more sour on Trump, Pew says
The much-discussed Hispanic turn in support of Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race is fading, according to new polling from Pew Research. In earlier data, Pew reported Hispanic voters were divided in 2024, “a major shift from 2020 and…
Dutch scholar accuses BBC of editing his speech in fear of Trump
A Dutch historian has accused the British Broadcasting Corporation of caving to fears about being sued by U.S. President Donald Trump and removing a critical line from a recent lecture. Rutger Bregman released a video Nov. 25 detailing his recent experience…
20 questions for Baylor University
With families traveling long distances by car this week, there’s likely to be a resurgence of one of the most beloved of all time-passing games, Twenty Questions. In that spirit, I’ve come up with 20 questions for the leadership of…
Six free online Advent resources for individuals and families
Not only is this week Thanksgiving in America, it’s also the beginning of the Advent season for most Christians in the United States. That means a variety of online devotional resources are popping up for the season ahead. “Advent” is…
BJC agrees with demand to retain Johnson Amendment
Thirteen U.S. senators and representatives have written to the acting director of the Internal Revenue Service urging him to continue enforcement of the Johnson Amendment that prevents churches and other charities from endorsing political candidates. The IRS announced July 7…