I grew up in a family that worshipped the trinity: God, the Southern Baptist Convention and the Dallas Cowboys. I was born in Fort Worth, Texas, while my father was a student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. By the time…
Keep your Bible where it belongs
When I took my first Bible class in college, I was required to memorize the books of the Bible. A lot of people in my class found that exercise of writing out the books of the Bible from memory in…
Remembering Professor Claypool
This past weekend, Crescent Hill Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., hosted “Glad Reunion: Celebrating the Ministry and Legacy of John R. Claypool.” Claypool had famously served the church as pastor throughout the turbulent 1960s and became a renowned pulpiteer in…
Reflections from London on the queen’s life and death
The queen is dead. Long live the king. From my earliest childhood memories during World War II, Elizabeth has been a constant in my life — a changeless symbol of stability during unstable times. By an accident of timing, I…
Who is my neighbor? Reflecting theologically on the migrant crisis
“Who is my neighbor?” The expert of the law, the one whose job it was to study Scriptures, asked Jesus this question in Luke 10. Of course, the expert probably knew the answer. He knew the original languages and pored…
I’m now banned from ministering at a place I love
In September 2007, as a freshman at Samford University, I wrote these words: “Dr. Matthew Kerlin, minister to the university, stood near the front of the chapel and invited us to take part in the Eucharist. … Over seven hundred…
Condolences and clarity concerning the death and life of Queen Elizabeth
The death of Queen Elizabeth requires deep reflection. She was matriarch to her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and other family members. She was monarch of Britain for 70 years. Most people in Britain, across the British Commonwealth and across the…
I love the recognition of a life, but the obsession with the monarchy still bothers me
Since the queen died, the coverage has been 24/7. It goes beyond a death and a funeral. We seem obsessed with the royals, but I’ll have to say I’ve had a hard time getting on board with all the royal-to-do….
Hell is other people, but heaven is, too
Jessica Williamson, a receptionist at a gym in Los Angeles, gets bored, makes a poster and ends up with her story on public radio’s This American Life. She writes “CAT FOUND!!!” above two pictures of possums that she prints off…
We are hurt by Samford’s exclusion
Baptist Church of the Covenant in Birmingham, Ala., is a vibrant, Spirit-filled Baptist congregation that was formed out of protest. In 1970, when a Black mother and daughter were refused membership at First Baptist Church because of their race, roughly…
‘Reverend, they ain’t ever coming back’: Confronting churchly realities 2022
Early on in the COVID crisis, I had a long conversation with a close pastor friend about changes in American church life occurring before our eyes. We talked about what I call “the changing sociology of Sunday,” a demographic-cultural reality…
Why Bathsheba is not an adulteress
Growing up in the church, I have heard the 2 Samuel narrative of Bathsheba and David many times. Often, I have heard this narrative retold by preachers who believe Bathsheba is a dangerous woman and who utilize this narrative as…