On May 25, Pope Leo XIV released his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” warning about the growing influence of artificial intelligence. He informs us that AI requires an increasing use of “energy and water, significantly influencing carbon dioxide emissions, and place(s)…
The way we were
“Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past,” says Deuteronomy 32:7. Once upon a time, people who called themselves Southern Baptist had a firm conviction that they were autonomous churches cooperating with other churches of what we called…
Spiritual formation is how churches learn whom to hear
A name appears on the teaching schedule. The person is not a stranger. They have sung in worship, served on committees, brought food to grieving families, asked good questions in Bible study and stayed after to stack chairs. People like…
Full gospel Christianity
The Christian faith includes both personal and public ramifications. However, most churches in America overemphasize personal faith and underemphasize public faith. For example, all churches care deeply about individual moral behavior, which is obviously important. But Scripture teaches us God…
You are the plan
During one of my TikTok scrolls, a video came across my feed of a man in all yellow running onto a baseball tarp. It was pouring rain; clearly the kind of situation few people would run toward. I watched as…
What the church got wrong about queer people
The ACLU is tracking 530 anti-LGBTQ bills in state legislatures this year. Five hundred and thirty. In Kansas, a new law immediately invalidated the driver’s licenses of transgender people and authorized anyone, anyone, to sue someone they suspect of being transgender for using the…
Colorizing the SBC’s one-paint-can resolution on euthanasia
Cancer has reduced my father’s robust frame to skin-covered bones. His bombastic voice has deflated to a chirping whisper. But his 84-year-old blue eyes still sparkled when he abruptly made a comment that, to fully appreciate, requires decades of context….
BNG podcasts feature each SBC presidential candidate
In less than a week, about 12,000 messengers are expected to arrive in Orlando for the 168th annual session of the Southern Baptist Convention. Leading the concerns facing church representatives are the election of a new convention president and a…
Trump’s birthday is an opportunity for semiquincentennial ‘pride’
On June 14, Dozin’ Donald Trump will celebrate his 80th birthday; and although he can’t seem to stay awake for much these days, the 47th president will be eyes wide open that evening as he hosts a UFC cage fight…
We are manna
I’ve been tired, and I know I’m not alone in that. People are tired. Not inconvenienced. Not stressed but tired, bone tired as the seasoned saints used to say. Wars are waging in the Congo, Iran and Palestine while cable…
The older brother was exhausted
After Easter worship several years ago, I spoke briefly with a pastor standing alone near the back of the sanctuary while the congregation drifted toward fellowship hour. Children were running through the hallways. People were laughing, hugging and talking about…
The Black Church cannot remain America’s emergency moral infrastructure
On Sunday mornings across America, many Black pastors stand behind pulpits carrying far more than sermon notes. Some are preaching only days after burying another teenager lost to gun violence. Some are trying to comfort congregations anxious about layoffs, housing…