By Rick L. Hammer God’s creation still is being created. That may be an awkward way to state this fact, but it’s true. The creation stories of Genesis might suggest God’s creative activity was a one-time act, but that could…
Outreach, from the inside out
By Will Baker My church sits on an old highway in the small county seat town of Accomac, Va. It’s a great place and the church has amazing facilities that attract a lot of attention from anyone who passes by….
I have moved on
My friend Marv Knox recently wrote a wise column in which he urged Baptists to move on from past bitterness through repentance and forgiveness. As Knox noted, others such as David Gushee and Mark Wingfield have recently written on our…
The ethics of Christian blackmail
Yesterday, while pondering the Christian reaction to the initial World Vision decision, I wrote a short article (unpublished) on how (not) to talk about World Vision on the Internet – don’t be hateful, clam down before you publish, and other…
Learning and unlearning
Recently I read this quote from professor Leonard Sweet: “If ministers are not constantly learning and unlearning, they are becoming less and less qualified to serve.” Sweet is on to something. I am an advocate for lifelong learning because there…
The ‘ex-SBC’ trilogy: A response to my respondents
David Gushee Follow David on twitter: @dpgushee We have a beloved expression in our family: “stirrin’ up the pot.” This phrase emerged from the mouth of our mischievous son when he was about 11. It referred to his occasional forays…
‘All my ex’s…’
By Bill Leonard As an “ex-SBCer” I’m hesitant to write about the situation among Baptists in the second decade of the 21st century. According to my friend David Gushee, as an ex-SBCer I should actually be retired, or, as one…
Baptists on the other side of anger
By Mike Smith My friend Marv Knox recently wrote a wise column in which he urged Baptists to move on from past bitterness through repentance and forgiveness. As Knox noted, others such as David Gushee and Mark Wingfield have recently written…
Social media reaction of World Vision controversy
This week World Vision, the para-church organization that fights hunger, announced that they ended their ban on hiring people in a same sex marriage. After considerable blow back from supporters and Christians, World Vision reversed its policy. Some supporters said…
Living, dying and laughing
By Gary Cook The ancient words from the wisdom literature of Ecclesiastes 3 concerning a time for living, dying and laughing and the words from Proverbs 31 about laughing at the days to come become more real as one gets…
The crazy lady in the attic
Fred Phelps is dead and there is no one to mourn his passing. In the end, poor Fred was abandoned even by the cult his hate built. One is tempted to see Fred Phelps as an extreme expression of the…
Learning to listen
I am afraid of well-meaning Christians. This is probably because I am one myself, but it is also because I encounter well-intentioned Christians all the time. They have a vision for all the good they could do to other people….