Columnist Brett Younger didn’t send us a traditional column this month. Instead, he sent us a humorous, yet not-so-humorous example of what an honest Christmas Eve worship order of service might look like. He reported that even the church administrator…
Truth Decay: The New Testament on truth
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true…
Why you should cancel your in-person indoor Christmas Eve service
I’ve heard all the arguments and understand most of the data. Yes, I know there are regional differences and special circumstances from community to community. And I understand that you think your bubble is safe, that you are the exception….
Please listen to my friend Ralph West about racism and the SBC
Ralph D. West Sr. does more for race relationships by walking into a diverse room than many of us will do in a lifetime trying to help. My friend Ralph has merely to be present in a group of Blacks…
Why can’t Christians so concerned about cults see that they’ve joined one?
My conservative evangelical upbringing taught me all the tenets of “true” Christian faith — the inerrancy of Scripture, that the rapture will happen any day, and that teenage hormones are sinful (even though they are also a gift from God)….
A response to critiques of Rev. Warnock, Black theology, and the Black Church tradition
When family members of the Charleston Nine forgave the white supremacist who murdered their loved ones after Bible study in their church, white Christians marveled at their witness to Christian faith, holding them up as models to be followed. Although…
In the first year of grief, walk the perimeter
In the counseling setting, I often tell my clients it takes a year to get a sense of the loss we have experienced. I compare it to a person who has purchased a piece of land and walked out the…
The tangled beauty of America and original sin
The six Southern Baptist seminary presidents have condemned Critical Race Theory and forbade its use in seminary education. With this, they fell into lockstep with President Trump whose executive order forbade its use in federal agencies. He said Critical Race…
Advent reflection: An explosive conversation
BNG is pleased to partner with Baker Publishing Group and Perkins School of Theology at SMU to present a twice-weekly Advent reflection series written by Jack Levison. The reflections will be published every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the season. Surprises…
In this advice, I was wrong
I was wrong in advice I gave to young ministers for many years. My intent was good, but my advice was wrong. The recent intense debate over a Wall Street Journal opinion piece has helped me clarify this. In that…
COVID took my Mom but did not have the final word
COVID-19 thinks it took another victim tonight, Dec. 14, 2020. There will be a death listed in the Bell County, Texas, newspaper, with the State of Texas, and other databases. For my family and me, that death is not just…
Contemplative pandemic cooking: Feeding souls and neighbors
In rural New England, winter comes not only with a downpouring of snow but with a heavy dose of loneliness and isolation. While the wondrous “white stuff” is a nuance that my spouse and I still get excited about, that’s…