Although you would never know it from listening to American preaching, Jesus linked poverty with the kingdom of God and affluence with sin. The text of the first sermon Jesus preached was taken from Isaiah 61: The spirit of the…
The tears we need to shed
By Bill Wilson As a pastor, I’ve seen my share of tears. They show up in so many places: in hospitals, especially in emergency rooms, at funeral homes, in the office, in the delivery room, at the altar, during worship,…
Robin Williams and the church
By Alan Rudnick As most everyone has heard, Robin Williams died on Tuesday from an apparent suicide. The reaction on Facebook and Twitter was one of shock. How could someone who brought so much joy and humor to the world…
Needed: Christian ministers who do the stuff
A dramatic story—perhaps an urban legend—about John Wimber, one of the founders of the Vineyard Movement, relates to something that happened following his conversion to Christianity around 1963. It is said that he began attending a church nearby. After several…
If this is where you get off the bus: The LGBT issue, part 6
By David Gushee Follow David: @dpgushee It should be clear by now that “the LGBT Issue” is by no means just one issue, and that its complexity requires a sufficiently complex response. Careful readers will see that my approach in…
Time for the church to respond to the mental health crisis
By Rob Lee This week, with the loss of comedic genius Robin Williams to apparent suicide, our nation has turned to a conversation of mental health. You can’t turn anywhere on the news or social media and not see conversations…
A matter of definition
Confession time: I really enjoyed the movie Frozen the first time I saw it. And the second. And the third. And the several dozen after that too. You see, two of my three kids are at a prime Disney age…
Closing the confidence gap
By John Chandler Imagine a tightrope stretched over a gorge. There are two figures attached to it. One is striding assuredly on top of the rope. The other is hanging on for dear life beneath the rope. According to a…
Standing up for religious liberty in Burma
In December of 2013, something remarkable happened. More than 30,000 people — including many Baptist leaders from around the world — gathered in Burma to celebrate the life and legacy of a man and woman they’d never met.
Communities, borders, and “Persons of Peace”
“We pray and walk through our community, looking for persons of peace with whom we can connect.” “Persons of Peace.” That’s a term I’ve heard multiple times during my summer sabbatical study of how churches are engaging in Christian community…
God is (still) waiting
By Eileen R. Campbell-Reed This coming Sunday, Watts Street Baptist Church, Durham, N.C., will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first ordination of a woman in a Southern Baptist church. On Aug. 9, 1964, Watts Street ordained Addie Davis to…
Loving the person in front of you
By Adam McDuffie Christians are traditionally characterized by a desire to live a Christ-like life. While that can take a variety of forms, we often see this expressed in a desire to be as close to Jesus as possible. We…