“What if evangelism is one of the things that our world needs most?” Brian McLaren’s penetrating question offers an apt avenue to launch this essay. His question takes us on a different tack from most essays and books on evangelism,…
What Christians singing on an airplane and a coach praying on the 50-yard line have in common
There’s a common thread in two seemingly unrelated cases in the news right now: The Christians singing worship songs on a commercial airline flight and the former high school football coach in Washington State who insisted on holding public prayers…
The invisibility of women in the Bible
Taking a look at our world today, we find that while the profile of Asian Americans may rise in the popular American imagination, the Asian American woman is still shrouded in obscurations created by the white dominant society. The visible…
In Lviv, there is peace — until people start telling their stories
Lviv has many faces. It is a beautiful city with rich history, majestic architecture, elegant cafes and a joyful atmosphere. Ukrainians call it the capital of coffee, chocolate and street music. All this is here when Rachel and I walk…
Changing Our Mind, 25,000 sales later
I learned this week that sales of my 2014 book Changing Our Mind are just about to cross 25,000, apparently very rare in the book business. This becomes the occasion for my column this week. Long-time readers of Baptist News…
What if more churches were like Waffle House?
As a religion reporter, my hope in the local church sometimes feels hopeless. We seem to have drifted so far away from the description of the early church found in Acts 2:42-47. There, we are told “they devoted themselves to…
Earth Day 2022: A time for the watchman on the wall
Here we are again — another Earth Day. Another opportunity to celebrate all that draws us closer to God through this beautiful and awe-inspiring world. In much of the United States, a taste of spring is bursting forth as we…
How I came to oppose the death penalty
Do you have a book you can say changed your life? I do. I was a freshman in college when I read Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean. It had a profound impact on what I thought and believed…
An internet celebrity visits Bubba-Doo’s
I don’t know about you. But out-of-town company arriving for a visit is a real thrill at our house. We love having visitors, and my wife and I expend some effort getting ready for our guests. Obviously, there is some…
I’d rather swim than worship
It was a haunting statement by a pastor. She was asked how her church had rebounded from the impact of COVID upon live worship attendance. Like most, she reported that only about 65% of the pre-COVID attenders had returned to…
At the Supreme Court: The First Amendment on the 50-yard line
Next Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Kennedy v. Bremerton, a dispute involving high school football coach Joseph Kennedy, who refused to stop holding post-game prayers on the field and later sued the Bremerton, Wash., school…
10 life lessons from Holy Week
Our reflective Lenten journey is complete and our celebrative journey into Eastertide has begun. But before we leave Holy Week too quickly, there are a few takeaways from the stories we encountered we need to bookmark, a few lessons for…