Opinion

Recently, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship announced that they would be “right-sizing” their organizational structure. Necessary questions about budgetary management, fiscal responsibility and institutional culture aside, the elephant in the room is that moderate to progressive Baptist churches are not financially supporting the work of CBF ministry partners globally.

Fifteen strangers are gathered for supper. We share from a common table where everyone has offered a little dish. Around the country, thousands of others are doing the same thing. These multi-hued, boundary-crossing gatherings are happening thanks to a call…

Religious partnerships have made meaningful contributions to the defeat of prejudices and hostility in Cuba. The recent actions of the Trump administration won’t deter these relationships, nor will they reduce their cooperative work.

Substance abuse is a complex issue because pain is multilayered, taking on parallel and distinct configurations in every human being. Can persons enmeshed in pain and Percocet feel safe enough in our congregations to seek physical, mental and, yes, spiritual assistance?

Before gaining fame and fortune for creating “Star Trek,” Gene Roddenberry wrote for a popular Western called “Have Gun — Will Travel.” Having been born in early 1964, I missed the last episode by only a few months. So I…

In my last column, we learned that evangelism is alive and well even though it may not look like “old-fashioned soul winning.” Instead, the 21st-century approach is imbedded in the church’s ongoing service, morphing into new shapes which are culture-sensitive….

Last week I had the opportunity to meet with a group of millennial social justice leaders who were meeting across the street at Union Theological Seminary. I probably shouldn’t have read their bios before I headed over to their closing…

If Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin wants to talk about sheep and goats, he would do well to first consider which side he finds himself on given the criteria actually laid out by Jesus.

Before wagging self-righteous fingers at the Southern Baptist Convention for nearly failing to pass a no-brainer resolution denouncing the “alt-right,” we should consider carefully whether we are worthy of casting the first stone.

Editor’s note: This piece by Steve Harmon and Curtis Freeman prompted a reply from two Southern Baptist writers, Lucas Stamps and Matthew Emerson. Freeman and Harmon are continuing the conversation started below with a follow-up piece here. Why would a…

The Trump administration is breaking its pledge to protect Iraqi Christians, sending them back to their oppressors.  Will the U.S. church remain silent?

At some point in progressive Baptist history we finally started fighting the right fights, but we forgot why we fought them. Claiming Jesus and the resurrection suddenly seemed too evangelical and we tried to distance ourselves as far as possible from the evangelicals.

You can subscribe to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity or you can subscribe to the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement, but you can’t subscribe to both.

While it is true that saying “no” may be risky, and may bring unexpected consequences, learning to say “no” is very important. It will help us to set healthy boundaries and to avoid draining and/or abusive personal, professional, or ministerial relationships.