Today, July 17, marks the anniversary of one of the darkest moments in Baptist history. But as with so many events in the Christian saga, God worked with those who love God to turn darkness into light and to redeem…
Sing along when there are no words
One night in the spring of 1971, soul-singer Bill Withers was in the music studio recording a new song, Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone. It would go on to be one of the greatest hits this singer would ever have…
What happens when a biblical ‘Karen’ meets Jesus
If you look up my nickname, Becky, in the urban dictionary, you’ll find the top definition is “A Basic White Girl,” and that is not a compliment. I’m just glad for now that my real name isn’t “Karen” — a…
Faith can come rather quickly, but conversion takes a lot longer
Simon Peter denied Jesus three times; the Apostle Paul testified to a mysterious “thorn in the flesh” that even heartfelt prayer could not remove. St. Augustine cohabitated with a female “partner” for 15 years. They had a child together, yet…
We’re melting: Empathy in the time of coronavirus
Jason Vicknair went on Twitter to complain about a Mexican restaurant in Allen, Texas. He posted a photo of his beleaguered spouse and wrote: “My wife, date night after three months locked up in quarantine. Waiting for shredded cheese…
Christian citizenship means somebody’s calling my name
What does it mean to be a Christian citizen? The question should challenge every breath in our bodies in the way George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and many other Black Christian citizens died daring to breathe. There is no dodging…
What I learned in my second online ordination
I have been ordained online twice now. The first time didn’t stick, as it happened after a night on Bourbon Street during my rowdy years. The details of my first online ordination are awash in a wave of cheap hurricanes,…
Coronavirus teaches us that ‘church’ is a verb
In this time of coronavirus, we need a new grammar of church. “Church” is not a noun with a cynosure of place. It is a verb. It is a verb not to be used in the singular but always in…
Private school vouchers as civil rights? Baloney!
The White House is requesting that a portion of the next stimulus bill be used for private school scholarships, including religious schools. They argue this must happen because of racial inequity in the public school system. The Trump Administration is…
Making the gospel only about private righteousness is too easy
My spiritual birthplace was in a tiny Southern Baptist church in rural northwest Missouri. In the evangelical ethos of that time and place, spiritual maturity was defined in private terms. Confess Christ, get baptized, join a (cooperating Southern Baptist) church,…
Trump, Jepthah and the sacrifice of our children
As I write these words, President Trump is politicizing the fall reopening of schools for our children. I cannot imagine a more difficult set of decisions our public officials are having to make than when and how to reopen our…
Three ways the church can support public schools in the era of COVID-19
As I write this, my colleagues and I have spent the last few days in complete bewilderment at the prospect of starting face-to-face instruction even as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the rise. None of us relish the prospect…