Seminary life is profoundly different in 2024 than it was in the late 1980s when I was a seminary student. Looking back, I marvel at the transformation that has taken place in theological education. The rhythms of seminary life, the…
Remember the women: The Southern Baptist cover up of sexual abuse
If you pay only minimal attention to news outlets, you know the story of the week is the Southern Baptist Convention’s stunning cover up of clergy sexual abuse. The glaring headlines of Christianity Today, The Washington Post and The New…
Missing Gwen
By Pam Durso It has now been a year since that moment on Aug. 27, 2013, when I learned that Gwen had died. She was my friend. She was my pastor. She was my Panera Bread lunch date, my fellow…
Female preachers change church culture
By Pam Durso In establishing Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching, the Baptist Women in Ministry leadership team’s dream was to find churches in which young and starting-out Baptist women ministers could preach. We had heard many stories from women…
Enough to make a Baptist dance
By Pam Durso I grew up as a Texas Baptist — in the days when dancing was a sin — and since I was a good Christian girl, I never learned to dance and certainly didn’t attend school dances! Given…
Number crunching and list keeping
Every couple years I put on my accountant hat and crunch numbers. Not the tax-paying accountant hat I put every year by April 15 and sweat over numbers. My number-crunching-accountant hat is the one I put on when I start…
Food courts and fender benders
Editor’s note: this blog post appeared previously as a commentary on baptistnews.com. We have not yet arrived—not completely and totally. Baptist women serving in ministry still hear words of opposition, encounter suspicions and doubts, and experience the pain of exclusion….
Food courts and fender benders
Pam Durso We have not yet arrived — not completely and totally. Baptist women serving in ministry still hear words of opposition, encounter suspicions and doubts and experience the pain of exclusion. We are not fully embraced by all, not…
National Adoption Month a reminder even for an adoptive mom
By Pamela Durso Growing up November was always my favorite month, and for two really good reasons: Thanksgiving and my birthday! But I now have another reason to like November. It is National Adoption Month. As an adoptive mother for…