Letter to the Editor February 2, 2023 Dear Editor: It is refreshing to read well-written, unbiased articles about things in life that truly matter. You and the team at BNG always do that. I was initially motivated to write this…
Letter to the Editor: Jesus expects us to follow him; Trump expects us to follow him
Letter to the Editor February 2, 2023 Dear Editor: I read Robert P. Jones’ perceptive article on Donald Trump and his allegedly disloyal white evangelical supporters and wanted to endorse it. Trump is outraged that Christian leaders are hesitating to…
Humor and hope mark the dark journey taken by a creative and brave photojournalist
Have you ever been death tripping? Journalist Jeff Sharlet recently took an unusual trip through the rural roads of Wisconsin. His trip became much more than a run-of-the-mill ride through the countryside. Instead, his trip was more like a pilgrim’s journey…
One year of sobriety
One year ago last Monday, I stopped drinking. For the past year, we’ve draw an “X” each day on a special, prominently displayed calendar. I preferred for Nancy, my wife, to draw the mark. Every time she did, she would…
Men’s ministry needs more than, eggs, bacon and football
I have always valued men’s ministry and find it to be a needed asset to the body of Christ, but it wasn’t until my brief contract with Promise Keepers that I began to dig into the heart of what a…
The church must show the world a more excellent way of nonviolence
The Monterey Park shooting was the 36th mass shooting in the USA in this young year. Reporters have trouble covering all the violence in our culture. Some of the violence stands out in graphic and horrifying detail. A 6-year-old child…
Church historian Richard Hughes reflects on a lifetime of ‘Troublesome Questions’
In his latest book, The Grace of Troublesome Questions: Vocation, Restoration, and Race, historian Richard Hughes shares his intellectual and spiritual journey, inviting readers to consider how they treat their neighbors and where their allegiance as Christians lies. Now in…
What churches could learn from the Pub Choir phenomenon
Have you noticed hardly anyone at your church sings the congregational songs anymore? I have. And I visit quite a few churches around the place. The singers and the band on stage seem to be really into it, but the…
Living into lament: A white response to the killing of Tyre Nichols by police
I’m learning it is hard to feel the impact of the violence. It is difficult to make it real, to bring it close enough to sense its cold shadow. It passes by the window, like the neighbor who briefly triggers…
Of church cemeteries, pulpit committees, crafts and sweet potato casserole
The first church I served was Bethel Baptist Church in Chapel Hill, N.C. “Bethel” in Hebrew means house of God. The church had many fine people in it, but even though it was in Chapel Hill it could have been…
Of Margie, mountains and ‘El Shaddai’
I learned a lot of things in seminary, like how to perform baptisms and administer Communion, why understanding cultural context is important when reading and interpreting Scripture, and the importance of sneaking Amy Grant lyrics into almost any theological conversation….
What I learned from meeting Martin Luther King in Louisville and Josie in Hopkinsville
I watched a movie one night recently called Selma. It was about the 1965 freedom march in Selma, Ala., led by Martin Luther King Jr. Given all of the turmoil now roiling our country regarding Black Lives Matter, I wanted…