Churchless believers is an unfolding conversation I’m having with some colleagues, neighbors, friends and churches. The more we talk, the more dimensions appear that intrigue me and help me understand and possibly explain some of what is going on in…
Where have all the charismatics gone?
In the spirit of Paula Cole, I’ve been asking, “Where have all the charismatics gone?” Its been some twenty years since I found myself at a revival service, praying over a friend who had been “slain in the spirit.” These…
The Scopes Trial, then and now
By Bill Leonard “The parents have a right to say that no teacher paid by their money shall rob their children of faith in God and send them back to their homes skeptical, or infidels, or agnostics, or atheists.” — W.J….
Kim Davis, religious liberty, and why many Christians are getting it wrong
Religious liberty is at the core of the Kim Davis saga, just not the way most people think. As I watch the news and hear countless pundits and politicians cite concerns over religious liberty, I can’t help but think –…
Displaying an all-encompassing, come-as-you-are love of God
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…