By Nell Green Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace, good will among people. (Luke 2:14, NRSV) Our first Christmas on the field was in 1986. From then on, every year we host at least one…
At Christmas, relevant lessons for the 21st-century church
By Bill Wilson Our current Christmas celebration habits are a uniquely post-World War II phenomena. Much of the excess we experience stands at odds with the way Western society approached the holiday only a few years ago. This shift has…
‘Spotlight’ tells important story about the church and journalism
By Michael Parnell One of the backbones of Baptist doctrine is the concept of the separation of church and state. Historically Baptists have held that there needed to be a clear wall between the interests of the church and the…
Reckless rhetoric
By Bill Leonard In a diatribe entitled, The Jews and their Lies (1543), Protestant Reformer Martin Luther offered German Christians his shocking recommendations for dealing with what he called that “miserable and accursed people.” The list was long and violent,…
Reimagining churches as full-time partners with those in poverty
By Laura Rector I was temporarily homeless this summer after I lost my below market-rate housing in California to a planned development. This transition meant spending about 40 days without a true residence and sleeping in hotels or friends and…
An open letter to Carson-Newman University
By Travis Cooper and Jared Champion Dear President O’Brien, We write to you regarding Carson-Newman University’s decision to seek and accept a waiver to the provisions of Title IX. In a moment when division and hate abound, we were heartbroken…
From pride to fear
By Amy Butler Even the memory feels vaguely cheesy, as do most things Disney (in my experience). I was 6 years old; the date was July 4, 1976. For that year of my life my family lived in Orlando, Fla.,…
Will the new ‘Star Wars’ tap into spiritual longing or merely entertain?
By Joe LaGuardia There is a tidal wave of excitement over the seventh installment of the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, to be released this week. Tickets for opening day are nearly sold out, people will camp…
Christmas ministry to broken spirits
By Aileen Lawrimore What if, for you, it’s actually not the most wonderful time of the year? What if it’s your first Christmas (or your 51st) without your beloved? What if you’re fighting physical, mental or emotional illness? Or what…