The Southern Baptist Convention’s recent vote to further restrict women from pastoral leadership has reopened a debate many Baptists thought was settled long ago. Their denial of the Holy Spirit’s gift of ministry to women equally to men is reminiscent…
America is imperiled, but Baptists can save it
Last week, the annual meeting of the National Leadership Council of the American Baptist Churches USA took place in Atlanta under the theme, “Claim, Distinguish and Proclaim the Markers of American Baptists.” That should be considered a big deal for…
There is nothing Christian about American nationalism
It is high time we ceased calling nationalism “Christian.” There is nothing Christian about American nationalism. Christians, especially, should lead the way. The origin of the name “Christian” is recorded in Acts 11:26: “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” A…
Wicked upon wicked leaves wicked
You may or may not know Billy Preston’s 1974 hit, “Nothin’ from Nothin’ Leaves Nothin’.” But never mind, the refrain is as much mathematical truth as it is moral wisdom. As I considered the world this past weekend, the moral…
What it should take for Trump to get the Nobel Peace Prize
The man who occupies a solemn office, who bears an honorable title, but whom a court of law has declared a convict on 34 counts of fraud and whom another court has declared to be a sexual offender, may have…
Vote for us, because in the economy of God, there is no them
I never have told anyone — not even my children — how to vote. Today, though, I shall ask you to consider for whom to vote, if you have not already. I encourage you to vote for your neighbor, for…
A bad leader has corrupted the Republican Party and churches that identify with it
From a leadership studies point of view, political parties, even when healthy, aren’t ordinary organizations. They become notoriously dysfunctional when they are unhealthy. Similarly, churches aren’t ordinary organizations. When they follow the patterns of leadership modeled and demonstrated by Jesus,…
Gov. Landry and the new Ten Commandments
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry seemed quite smug with himself, surrounded by similarly adoring fans as he proudly — yes, even regally — signed into law his dangerous bill to place the Ten Commandments in every classroom in every public educational…
Dear SBC: Let my people go!
Dear Southern Baptist Convention: Welcome to Indianapolis! We Baptists — at least, the “normal” kind, whose pastoral leaders possess no desires of grandeur to elevate themselves to “bishop,” or “prophet,” or “apostle” — frequently joke about who might be bishop…
I won’t buy his ‘truth’ or his Bible
One presidential candidate is now selling an American-flag-draped, Constitution-including Bible for $60! If certain American evangelicals, certain Republicans and perhaps all people who still intend to vote for him know their history — especially the history of the Reformation —…
Are Mike Johnson, Mitch McConnell and many key Republicans really Christians?
It was “in Antioch the disciples were for the first time called Christians” (Acts 11:26). This verse of Scripture struck one side of my brains just as the other side revolted, “They are not Christians!” This simultaneous scriptural recollection and…
Christians are preventing America from confession and repentance of racism
It is almost painful to listen to the verbal gyrations of Nikki Haley, who claims Christianity, trying to deny that America always has been, and continues to be, a racist country. Americans need to grow up past their childish fragility….