By suggesting the need for prior judicial determinations, the workgroup set in place a remarkably high threshold for denominational action, effectively rendering even egregious cases outside the realm of inquiry.
Inclusion can get messy: gospel implications of a ‘Wider Welcome’ for United Methodists and the rest of us
Christian history is replete with the expulsion of persons from the church; times when sin, sex, orthodoxy and “special needs” all run together and somebody or some bodies had to go. Perhaps we should add an asterisk to “Everybody is Welcome” on our church signs.
God is not a guy and neither am I: male dominance and sexual abuse in churches
Changing male-dominant leadership and language that have been the norm for thousands of years may not always be easy or comfortable, but when we understand the suffering that results from failure to do so, we can change.
I became a pastor who had trouble praying
Ash Wednesday doesn’t stand alone. It’s a gateway to the season of Lent, which is in itself a way of understanding the whole of the gospel story.
Penitential pancakes: sin soaked in syrup
The point of Pancake Tuesday is not to get the partying out of our system before Lent begins. Feast days remind us to live in gratitude. Celebration, reveling in the pleasures of life, helps us pay attention.
Addressing clergy misconduct: American Baptists do things differently
As an American Baptist leader, I take clergy misconduct very seriously. I want to be heartfelt in my support of the vast majority of our clergy who are people of integrity. But I will be vigilant in dealing with those who are not.
For my Methodist friends (and others): how to survive the death of your denominational home. Or not
My sisters and brothers in the Methodist tradition (and elsewhere), if you do have to leave your denominational home, I hope that you keep your eyes and ears open for a God you or your tradition can’t hold on to: a God at the bottom of the slippery slope, in a field Rumi famously described as one beyond right doing and wrong doing.
Letter to the Editor – Response to Susan Shaw’s opinion article on abortion
Response to Susan Shaw’s opinion article on abortion from Jonathan Frank, Washington, D.C.
Revisiting ‘Battle for the Minds’ after nearly a quarter of a century
“Battle for the Minds” is not only a historical record of a tumultuous time at a leading Baptist seminary, but also serves as a cautionary tale about the ongoing misogyny within the Southern Baptist ecclesial tradition.
Letters to the Editor for 02.27.19
Response to Susan Shaw’s opinion article on abortion from Jonathan Frank, Washington, D.C.
Don’t strip our voices from the Baptist pulpit
How can we expect women to speak up about what is happening to them behind the curtain when their experiences and wisdom are not validated from behind the pulpit?
Why I spoke out against Virginia’s ‘Bible bill,’ and why you should too when it comes to your state
Has the holy word of God been reduced to a prop to win points with a political base? Those who support so-called “Bible bills” claim to love the Scripture, but I believe tossing the Bible into a partisan wrestling match betrays that claim.