Eventually, every pastor or staff member will do something about which a church member becomes angry or disappointed. I still remember the time a few weeks into my first pastorate when I learned this painful lesson. One of our deacons…
OPINION: The hand we’re dealt
I spend a lot of time thinking, writing and teaching on the current religious climate in America and how churches and individual Christians can thrive despite the seemingly downward spiral of decline. While practicing Christianity in the 21st century, especially…
REVIEW: ‘Captain Phillips’ offers a cautionary tale to an America facing a growing gap between rich
Captain Phillips is an action movie with an important underlying social message. It is one of those movies that is filled with all manner of exciting scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Yet when you…
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Start being the Church again
I’m so tired of some of the church putting down gay people. When will they see the log in their eye? Come on, you know God loves all of his kids. Sometimes it makes me feel ashamed of calling myself…
How can Christians really help the poor? Develop a strategy, say advocates
Though Christians seem to disagree about how best to help the poor, experts agree that developing a strategy based on the needs of a particular community will help churches minister to the needy around them. Giving money to a person…
Veteran urban minister suggests Oath for Compassionate Service
Christians motivated by compassion for the poor need to make sure both mercy and justice guide their actions, said Robert Lupton, based on his four decades of experience in urban ministry. Robert Lupton has proposed what he calls an…
Staying motivated for service among the poor demands discipline
Chronic poverty, hunger and homelessness can leave even the most committed Christian activists feeling overwhelmed and defeated. “After you finish providing one set of meals, more hungry people are in line right behind them. And there’s more after them. It’s…
Ministries blending food and faith
By Jeff Brumley They say an army travels on its stomach. According to the proponents of “creation care,” the same can be said of the church. As they observe World Food Day today, those activists are reporting a dawning awareness…
Baylor alumni leaders resign
By Ken Camp About one-third of the Baylor Alumni Association board of directors — including four officers — have resigned in the wake of a failed attempt to approve a transition agreement with the historically Baptist university in Waco, Texas….
SBC leader defends ‘sectarian’ prayer
By Bob Allen The Southern Baptist Convention’s top expert on religious-liberty concerns says the U.S. Supreme Court should uphold a New York town’s practice of opening its city council meetings with sectarian prayer. “A prayer, by definition, isn’t a speech…
Mohler reflects on 20 years at Southern
By Bob Allen With two decades under his belt as president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s flagship seminary, Albert Mohler’s 10-year plan includes writing a systematic theology, according to a 2,800-word story published Oct. 15 in the campus newspaper The…
Arrest made in Charlotte church arson
By Bob Allen Police in Charlotte, N.C., have arrested an 18-year-old in connection with an arson-related fire this summer at the city’s Providence Baptist Church. Local media reported the arrest of Jonathan Paul Dover on charges of setting fire to…