By Marv Knox It’s ludicrous, all right. Preposterous, even. But make no mistake: Fear misappropriates logic and steals perspective. It robs people of the ability to think clearly. It replaces reason with panicky, overwrought delusion. Far too often, fear is…
Left behind
By Marc Brown As worship pastors, we spend ourselves working and asking God to build a team (a choir, an orchestra, a band) that will help our congregations hear, know and respond to God. As our ministry grows, usually the…
Great Commission and Great Commandment without synergy?
Do you remember where you were and what you were doing on the morning of September 11, 2001? I do too. That is a morning very difficult to forget. I was sitting in the lobby restaurant of a hotel in…
Toward covenant: The LGBT issue, part 14
By David Gushee Follow David: @dpgushee Many Christian colleges and seminaries are wrestling with the LGBT issue. Frequently in my visits to these schools over the last two decades this ubiquitous issue has come up, even when it is not…
Dreaming with God
By Bill Wilson I’ve made a transition in recent years in the way I think and talk about God’s will. For many people, the will of God is a mysterious, elusive and frustrating concept. Too often, we have made it…
A big day for Touching Miami with love
On Tuesday, September 30th, Miami Dade County’s Deputy Mayor Russell Benford shared an official proclama!on from the county declaring the day, Touching Miami with Love Day. This presenta!on occurred at Touching Miami with Love’s first annual our BIG Dreamers Award Luncheon in the…
Ebola ignorance
By Mark Wingfield Someone asked me why I included this phrase in my prayer at Wilshire Baptist Church’s worship service Sunday: “We pray that you would calm the anxious hearts of so many in our city. Help the ignorant to…
Remaining awake through a Pentecost
The author, who leads an intentional Christian community in Charlotte, N.C., attended the recent annual national conference of the Christian Community Development Association, a network of Christians committed to wholistic restoration for communities spiritually, emotionally, physically, economically and socially. This is…
on arks and alienation: or why building a 70 million dollar boat in the middle of Kentucky still seems like a bad idea.
These days it doesn’t take much to leave me feeling dismayed and embarrassed by the public image of the faith to which I’ve tethered my hopes, fears, dreams, and abilities to pay my mortgage. Which, is why I’m ever so…
Repentance is more than saying, ‘I’m sorry’
By Greg Jarrell The author, who leads an intentional Christian community in Charlotte, N.C., attended the recent annual national conference of the Christian Community Development Association, a network of Christians committed to wholistic restoration for communities spiritually, emotionally, physically, economically and…
Do you believe the Bible?
By Doyle Sager “Do you believe the Bible?” A simple, seemingly innocuous question, right? Not so fast. I was recently asked this question (out of the blue). When I inquired as to what had generated the question, the reply came…
Violence and vengeance
Ray should not have hit Janay. That is one problem, and here is another problem. At first, the NFL suspended Rice for two games. Some people were really upset that it was too little punishment. After additional video of the incident was…