Note: This sermon was preached Aug. 16 at the “From Seminary to Society: Journeys of Legacy, Loss and Hope” reunion of graduates and former faculty members of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, hosted by Wake Forest University School of Divinity. The sermon…
The attempted deportation of a Baptist hero, Roger Williams
In February 1631, the ship Lyon arrived in Boston harbor, carrying a group of migrants seeking to escape religious and political oppression suffered in England. Among them was Roger Williams. His migrant status didn’t end with his arrival in Boston,…
What they’ve gained
Every time we report on another atrocity committed by President Donald Trump and his administration, people ask why evangelicals continue to support the cruelty and criminality of Trump’s dictates. As our Maina Mwaura wrote today, Trump clearly is not a…
The president isn’t ‘born again’
If President Donald Trump truly were a Christian, he would not have said what he said on Fox and Friends this morning. Trump called into his favorite show to talk about his policy regarding Ukraine and Russia. Then, prompted by…
Letter to the editor: How to respond to our national losses
Dear Editor: Many of us have been moving through the various grief responses to witnessing the stunning loss of our country’s generosity and compassion. Granger Westberg, MD, years ago was one of the first pioneers in relational studies of religion…
6 books that push back against black-and-white narratives of faith
When I left full-time ministry nearly 15 years ago, I remember feeling stymied by all the unread books on my shelf. I wanted to pick up a book, and while the shelf boasted plenty of Christian books to choose from,…
Rated “J” for Jesus: A box office blasphemy
In the global capitals of cinema — Hollywood in the United States, Bollywood in India, and Nollywood in Nigeria — one name crosses genres, crosses cultures and crosses continents. It’s not the name of a starlet, a mogul, or a…
A registered sex offender is on White House fitness council
On July 31, President Donald Trump signed an executive order reviving the Presidential Fitness Test and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. The executive order explains: “For far too long, the physical and mental health of the American…
The betrayal of a historic wisdom
For decades, there was a historic wisdom in the connectionalism and autonomy of local churches within Southern Baptist life. That wisdom is evident in the way local churches have related to one another — fostering friendships, camaraderie and mutual support….
There’s an anti-Baptist bias at TGC’s Themelios
The Gospel Coalition’s flagship journal, Themelios, has a problem with Baptists. Despite TGC’s claims of theological diversity and their promotion of Themelios as a legitimate “peer-reviewed” journal, the evidence reveals systematic anti-Baptist discrimination that undermines both academic integrity and Christian…
The scope of William Jennings Bryan
The centennial of the Scopes trial has come and gone. For at least this calendar year, the print media gave substantial attention to what happened in and outside the Rhea County Courthouse in July 1925. Commentators focused on whatever they believed…
Postcards from Occupied DC
“Lock the doors, kids.” When I was a kid, I remember my parents telling us to “lock the doors” when we drove into “the city.” This applied both to my hometown of Jackson and to bigger cities like Atlanta we…