“If they [Muslims] can’t dress like we do, then they should just go back to their own country,” spewed the church member. As that morning’s guest preacher, I watched with interest as the church dynamics played out in this small…
Redefining evangelism: It’s not ‘us versus them’
Recently, BNG has had several stories about evangelism (here, here, and here). The word evangelical comes from the Greek euangelion, and it means “good news.” Christians have good news to share. But sharing does not mean converting. Why do we…
The gift of mentoring: Making the unbreakable chain stronger and wider
A mentorship relationship is a gift that makes us better people because it involves sacred moments of trust, belief, generosity and empowerment.
The problems with ‘Second Coming’ theology
We don’t need more Christians to believe in some end-time cataclysmic shake-up. What we desperately need right now is more Christians to see the possibilities of Christ in glory here and now.
El don de la mentoría: Haciendo la cadena inquebrantable más fuerte y más ancha
Una relación de mentoría es un don que nos hace mejores porque involucra momentos sagrados en los cuales se confía, se cree, se da generosamente y se empodera.
What is sown in the heart
A trip to the cardiologist is rarely routine. Usually a precipitating episode or a prior procedure prompts the appointment, and we are eager to receive a reassuring assessment. We know that the condition of the heart determines our health, and…
The curse of Ham: Black Baptists question their place in the SBC
A proposed resolution condemning the alt-right which was submitted to the Southern Baptist Convention last month included a reference to the “curse of Ham.” The statement eventually adopted by the SBC omitted the reference. And that’s a problem.
The Cross is not enough: Baptists, catholicity and the atonement
Editor’s note: We recently published Steve Harmon’s and Curtis Freeman’s response to the Southern Baptist Convention’s affirmation of the theological concept of penal substitutionary atonement. That prompted a reply from two Southern Baptist writers, Lucas Stamps and Matthew Emerson. Harmon…
Letters to the Editor
The latest from our readers: Looking for a place at the CBF table, by Haley Cawthon | Southern Baptist view of atonement is consistent with scripture and tradition, by Luke Smith
An Apostolic Care Act
What if health care legislation becomes so draconian and human need so great that churches have to initiate or expand community clinics, not because Obamacare is repealed, but because Jesus requires it?
Braving the small room: Opportunity and challenge for American Baptists
A black gospel violinist. A Puerto Rican receiving a historic selection for a top board position. A fiery, 60-year-old Native American woman preacher. A Korean-born man newly appointed as the director of a doctor of ministry program. A young adult…
Everyone needs to go to Arabia
One of the pressing concerns of 21st-century individual and congregational spiritual life is the question of depth. To be blunt, there isn’t much. Study after study has revealed the sad truth that much of what we call faith and commitment…