Self-care includes developing and maintaining good physical, spiritual and mental health, a uniquely challenging but crucial discipline for a pastor. While these three areas of wellness are intertwined and inseparable, in my own life and the experience of many of…
Mixed dating and ill-fated love
By Brett Younger That phrase is about the only thing I remember our minister of youth saying. Tommy said it after the bell rang to signal the end of Sunday school. None of us wanted to admit that we did…
How to handle those pesky blog ‘trolls’
After blogging for over 5 years, I’ve been on the receiving end of some pretty harsh comments. I’ve found there are two types of negative blog commentator: productive criticism and blog trolls. Blog trolls, like their mythical archetypes, lurk in…
Reframing reality
By Amy Butler Even though we’re already several weeks away, one of the passages read commonly during Holy Week is still ringing in my ears. You’ll recall the exchange between Pilate and Jesus in John, chapter 18, where Jesus mentions…
Boko Haram and Southern Baptists
By Mike Greer The recent kidnapping of more than 300 young schoolgirls by self-identified Muslims in Nigeria raises a thorny and vexing question about the dark side of all religious traditions. In considering violence and human degradation perpetrated in the…
Al Mohler, Jesus and the death penalty debate
Would Jesus support the death penalty? Mother Theresa posed the question to the Governor of California in 1990. She was pretty sure he knew the answer. According to a recent Barna poll: Only 5 percent of Americans believe that Jesus…
Deepening prayer
By Molly T. Marshall Christians know that we are supposed to pray. From earliest childhood, that is our instruction, often getting more practice in Sunday school than at home. Families who pray together are an endangered species these days; spiritual…
Hearing God’s voice through the clamor
I hate to admit it. My hearing is not what it used to be. Voices in the room sound a bit more muffled. Reading lips is an emerging skill. Some days I truly believe my kids are speaking more softly…
The death penalty system is broken
By David Gushee Follow David: @dpgushee Oftentimes Christians deal with contemporary moral issues in the abstract. They are “against abortion” or “for peace” or “against divorce” in the abstract. They attempt to reason directly from what they understand to be…
Things a Christian can learn during Ramadan
Ramadan begins on June 28th. Ramadan is the month when people who follow Islam fast from the time the sun comes up until it goes down. They do this for 30 days. Sometimes my Muslim friends laugh at me because…
Finding the right word
By Bruce Day I am struggling to find a word. As I have become moderately advanced in years, this has become a more frequent occurrence for me. However, the word for which I search is not one that I have…
SCOTUS got this one wrong
With all due respect to my blogging colleague, Jonathan Waits and his blog post, the US Supreme Court got the decision wrong about the town of Greece, NY and their ceremonial prayers. How prayers are handled in government sponsored settings…