Whatever happened to Pentecost? That was (and is) the day set aside on the calendar in celebration of the Holy Spirit and the infusion of the Spirit in the ministries of the apostles at Jerusalem as recorded in Acts. Remarkably…
OPINION: Becoming an organic local church
I recently had the privilege of traveling with a group of divinity students from Wake Forest University to western North Carolina where we visited several sustainable, organic farms. We met and worked with people who are experimenting with innovative and…
WINN RECOMMENDS
Be Not Afraid, Samuel Wells (Brazos Press) Wells has penned a theologically deep and emotionally rich account of how faith confronts fear. Dean of the chapel at Duke University since 2005, Wells will become vicar of a prominent London church…
OPINION: A passionate engagement of creative minds
One recent magical Saturday night I shared in a banquet in Charlottesville, Va. The food, table and company were gathered in celebration of creativity, imagination and art as spiritual practice. Tables were decorated with simple butcher paper painted with splashes…
OUT LOUD
“Christianity is a faith and not a musical genre.” Chad Butler The drummer in the band Switchfoot was discussing with the Dallas Observer the group's reluctance to describe themselves as a “Christian band.” “An alternate name and the election of…
VITAL SIGNS: Our hidden addiction
You know all too well that our society is prone to addictions. We do nearly everything to excess. Not just the obvious culprits: alcohol, gambling, pain-killers, sex, work. There are a multitude of things which, done in moderation, are life-giving…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Understand, don’t underestimate, investments
The term “investments” can be a scary thing for churches. With the crash and continued volatility of the stock market still fresh on your budget’s bottom line, investing may seem impossible or imprudent. And let’s be honest—if there is no…
LEADERSHIP LINK: Ministers, growing spiritually and relying on God
How do people in ministry remember that they, too, are children of God when there are so many pressures to respond first to the needs of others? How do ministers (of all kinds) learn to seek their strength primarily from…
Burmese Baptists struggle to adapt to life in United States
By Jeff Brumley Most pastors will attest the ministry isn’t anything close to a 40-hour work week. On top of sermon preparation, preaching, hospital visits and counseling, the leader of one congregation of Myanmar refugees in Jacksonville, Fla., has an…
Mohler says churches ill-prepared for gay marriage
By Bob Allen A Southern Baptist seminary president says American Christianity lacks credibility to confront same-sex marriage because of its own failure to model marital fidelity and life-long commitment in churches. Albert Mohler “We have to understand that where we…
New Mexico Baptists ponder future of Glorieta
By John Loudat Around 30 people from New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma gathered April 12 at Baptist Convention of New Mexico’s building to offer suggestions for the future of Glorieta Conference Center. They met at invitation of an ad hoc…