I remember reading, long ago, that tragedy brings out the best in human beings in regard to empathy. But it also brings out bias. This has been obvious over the past weeks as the Israeli-Hamas war has unfolded. Since first…
Why the Black church must account for and attend to its own marginalized
When you hear the phrase, “the Black church,” what comes to mind? Who do you think about? Maybe high-spirited songs and impassioned sermons fill your ears as you recall attending a Sunday service where the majority of people in the…
Speaker Mike Johnson betrays core Baptist value
It didn’t take long for Baptists who care about religious liberty to learn just how far astray Mike Johnson, the new speaker of the House, has drifted from our traditional support for church-state separation. Based on his remarks from the…
Prison tables and the Lord’s Table
Note: This is the second in a three-part series by Chris Caldwell about his work in Kentucky prisons. When I was preparing to teach in prisons, I thought about a lot of things: bars, windows, cells, towers and fences, to…
The spiritual practice of friendship
I was at a friend’s birthday dinner when news broke that Matthew Perry, famously known for his role on the TV show “Friends,” died at 54. The person sitting beside me saw the news first. I heard her gasp, but…
What is digital chaplaincy, and why do we need such chaplains?
What is digital chaplaincy? I’ve had this concept in mind for many years, but not necessarily by that name. Recently I encountered a situation where I needed to call a digital chaplain. Without any options, I stepped into the role…
Why did Paige Patterson write a book on ‘biblical’ counseling?
Why did Paige Patterson write a book about biblical counseling? Without rehashing events already thoroughly chronicled by the media and covered extensively in Baptist News Global, we are talking about the former president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, who counseled…
Advice for churches on navigating the political climate of the coming election
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, Americans will go to the polls to elect the president of the United States. Political disagreements have been a part of this country since its inception, but these conflicts have escalated over the last decade….
My Old Kentucky Prayer
The world is always falling apart. The sun stops shining. The sky goes dark. The war in Israel is overwhelming. The divisions in our country are painful. Poverty and prejudice surround us. After a recent Gallup Poll, the headline was,…
‘Vermin’: Trump crosses fully into Nazi territory
One of the most dangerous things about Donald Trump is the way he has normalized hate speech. The venom and vitriol come so often that even when it is reported, its extremism fails to register with a fatigued and desensitized…
The good graduate student: A modern parable
This past Sunday was beautiful. After a wonderful worship service, many of us walked downtown for Williamsburg’s PrideCon, an annual event put on by Love is Love Tidewater. It was a welcoming environment where people felt safe and free to…
‘Do you think I am still a Christian?’
My work with Doubter’s Parish puts me in correspondence with large numbers of people. Many of them ask interesting questions about God, Jesus, faith, theology and church. For example, a few months ago a reader who no longer believes in…