In the early morning, I watch their golden faces from my kitchen window. Often, I whisper a prayer for those in Ukraine. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost six months. “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot…
What I learned at Wake Forest Baptist Church
I was saddened, but not surprised, at the announcement that the Wake Forest Baptist church, whose members met in Wait Chapel on the campus of Wake Forest University for 66 years, is dissolving. I am sad because I’m a graduate…
Why can’t we accept sexual and gender diversity in humans as well as in all creation?
This is the sixth in a series of articles on sexual diversity. If God’s handiwork has a trademark, surely it is diversity. “I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree” wrote Joyce Kilmer. There is…
I’ve been unaware of my privilege, and if you are a man, you probably have, too
In this time of increased, and justified, attention to gender inequities, I have been thinking about my own life. It occurs to me that while I have supported women colleagues, female students and girls within my circle of family and…
Are left-wing radicals pushing Cracker Barrel to the edge of the slippery slope?
On Aug. 1, liberals won a huge victory in the culture war. Analysts at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store read studies that promised consumer attitudes about plant-based meats are becoming more affirming and posted: “Discover new meat frontiers. Experience the…
To be more welcoming, let’s remove our flags
It seemed like déjà vu. I was sitting in a worship planning meeting with several other church staff when someone said, “I got another email asking about why the flags are no longer in the sanctuary.” And then the next…
News flash: Not all Baptists are Southern
Southern Baptists make up less than half of all Baptists in the United States. But you’d never guess that from media coverage. Last month, Baptist leaders from dozens of nations gathered in Birmingham, Ala., for the first in-person meeting of…
Why aren’t we defending Brittney Griner?
Brittney Griner is a professional basketball player. Her story reads like the all-American girl she is, but now she is in a Russian prison, and her critics are saying she is “unpatriotic,” “un-American,” and not worthy of our mercy and…
A school administrator reflects on rebuilding relationships between schools and homes
What do the following human interactions have in common? A simple disagreement between two individuals, an intellectual property lawsuit, road rage, marital strife, military conflict. In some context, each is typically an outgrowth of misunderstanding. Some may argue that the…
Judging the stripper and the carouser in ourselves at the Communion table
“The Bible says not to judge,” my Sunday school classmate says to me. I reply, “So, you’re making a judgment that my position on judgment is wrong?” I smile. “You see the irony here, right?” The person stares. Perplexed. I…
After the Guidepost report, we need to know more about FBC Woodstock’s City of Refuge and NAMB’s support for it: Was ‘moral failures’ code for sexual abuse?
This May, the Southern Baptist Convention felt shockwaves when a nearly 300-page report was published by a third-party investigative firm documenting systematic coverups of sexual abuse within the denomination. In the report, former SBC President Johnny Hunt was accused of…
Forsaking Baal for the God who is in recovery
“As much as any other voice in Scripture, Hosea fulfills the child’s dictum, (and) when told that no one knows what God looks like, responds, ‘They will when I finish.’ When Hosea has finished his sketch, we have a full…