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…
Closing the gap
By Eileen Campbell-Reed In recent weeks two prominent progressive Baptist churches moved to call well-known Baptist pastors. Notably in both calls the pastors are women. Riverside Church in New York City is set to call Amy Butler and Watts Street…
Baptismal mishaps
By Naomi King Walker Some faith traditions embrace infant baptism. These are memorable occasions for everyone except the child, who is too young to remember anything, and only later knows of the event’s significance through photos, stories and certificates. For…
SCOTUS got this one right
The Supreme Court ruled Monday in a tight decision (5-4) that the town of Greece, NY did not violate the Establishment Clause in choosing to open their legislative sessions with prayer in spite of the fact that the prayers were overwhelmingly offered…