By Amy Butler This week has been another week of heart-wrenching news headlines, enough to make any thinking person despair for the state of the world. While Americans are preoccupied with misguided public servants tenaciously distorting the average American’s understanding…
How toasts around the table bring surprising blessings among foreigners
That which we give makes us richer, that which is hoarded is lost. ~Shota Rustaveli, 12th Century Georgian poet Boredom was on the faces of the university students as they, their professor, a pastor and I waited in the stuffy…
Toward a deeper understanding of Baptist ordination
The first thing I learned walking into a job at a Baptist church in West Jefferson, North Carolina was that the frontier of freedom in the Church is found in Baptist life. I was raised United Methodist and pursued ordination…
What’s necessary vs. extravagant giving
By Scott Dickison As far as the typical news cycle goes, this column is about a week late. August 29 marked the 10 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall on American soil. But then again, on Labor Day of 2005…
Religion may aid ‘Sustained Happiness’
As you are probably aware, the “Freedom from Religion” group, an organization that is committed to taking all religion out of public viewing, has recently written letters to the Presidents of Clemson and USC, among others, asking that the University…
Jesus loves hippie churches
By Brett Younger The parking lot has several versions of “Co-exist” and “God loves the whole world no exceptions” bumper stickers, a “Leslie Knope for President,” and, on the same Prius, an “I’m too poor to vote Republican.” The sign…
Evangelism devoid of the Gospel
I returned home mid-afternoon to a rubber-band wrapped around my front door knob. A small booklet was attached to the rubber-band. The words – “THIS WAS YOUR LIFE!” – were printed across the black-and-white cover, all in caps, bolded, inked…
The word of God may not be what you think it is (tradition, scripture, and the word of the Lord)
Too often scripture is contrasted with tradition on the basis that scripture is the word of God while tradition is of human origin. Not so. In its biblical and theological usage tradition simply means “what is handed on.” In this…
Remembering John Claypool on the 10th anniversary of his death
I have been told that long before I stepped foot on the campus of Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology the issue of what students ought to call professors was addressed at a staff meeting. At a relatively small school…
I am an immigrant
By Nora O. Lozano La versión en español está disponible aquí. Last week the issue of immigration returned to the news as Donald Trump was challenged by Mexican-American Univision anchor Jorge Ramos regarding Trump’s plans, if he becomes U.S. president,…
Soy una inmigrante
Por Nora O. Lozano An English version is available here. La semana pasada el asunto de inmigración regresó a las noticias, cuando el reportero México-Americano Jorge Ramos cuestionó a Donald Trump en relación a sus planes, si llega a ser…
7 things I (re)discovered on sabbatical
C.S. Lewis once said that most of us don’t need to be told new things, but rather reminded of old truths. This has certainly been true in my own journey these past few months. On June 1, I entered into…