For the sake of the world, for the sake of the church, for the sake of the nation, for the sake of the truth, one thing must happen in 2024: Donald Trump must be defeated. Not just defeated in the…
Pope Francis vs. John Piper: Two views of ‘masculinizing’ the church
“One of the great sins we have had is ‘masculinizing’ the church,” Pope Francis admitted to the International Theological Commission last month in what could potentially become the most impactful theological repentance of the year. “Women have a capacity for…
The nail in the board: Careless words always leave a mark
A good friend recently shared an analogy with me that made a deep impression. When he was about 10 years of age, his Sunday school teacher told his class of boys: “You can drive a nail into a 2-by-4 and…
No room in the inn: The story revisited
In July 2021, when we adopted our daughters, I left my pastorate to focus on their transition into our family. I took a job that following August as a night auditor at the local Hilton property. This has been a…
On Al Mohler, Paige Patterson, Bill Clinton, Immanuel Baptist Church and Baptist polity and politics
“Local church autonomy” is a Baptist distinctive selectively used. As evidence, consider Al Mohler’s position on Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Ark., 25 years ago when then-President Bill Clinton was a member there. Mohler, relatively new as president of…
J.D. Salinger, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and why Christmas is in trouble
Christmas has been in trouble for a long time. This year, decorations were out in Home Depot just past Halloween. And have you seen some of the yards around town? The Star Wars characters in the display down the street…
My five book recommendations for 2024
No 1. Saving Us, by Katherine Hayhoe I attended an event in Charlotte in early spring hosted by numerous environmental groups motivated by faith and/or science. I asked an attendee, Karen, who writes a weekly blog titled “Unheating,” what is…
America may not be as much ‘post-Christian’ as post-white Christian
Many American societies are beginning to be understood as “post-Christian.” Churches are hemorrhaging masses of disillusioned congregants as Christian cultural norms are losing their grip on public discourse. Even so, there has been a new Christian movement unsuspectingly burgeoning on…
Four sermons
I consider myself fortunate to have come of age in the 1960s and to have been educated at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in the early 1970s. None of us has much control over the time in which we live. Although…
A Christmas truce
During his early years of ministry, Paul loved Christmas. He enjoyed decorating the sanctuary. He took joy in the children’s programs. He sang the carols with gusto. He especially reveled in the annual Christmas Eve candlelight service. But in December…
God’s gift of love: What do we do now?
Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. … Take hold of the life that really is life. — 1 Timothy 6:12-19 Pursue … love … gentleness. Loving with gentleness can be a struggle in the world of today. “Natural selection,”…
‘What the hell is wrong with these people?’: An Advent message on Christian white nationalism and the end of America
You may have seen Atlantic Monthly writer Tim Alberta on air talking about why he wrote his new bestseller, The Kingdom, The Power, and the Glory, one of a trio of extraordinary books out this fall warning about white supremacy…