By Marv Knox Bombs burst at America’s most venerated footrace, ripping runners and spectators limb from limb. An industrial explosion blocks from some of Texas’ most beloved bakeries shakes an iconic small town to its core. Poison-laced letters in Washington…
Boston is about us
When I recovered from the initial shock and horror of the Boston Marathon bombing, I automatically switched into advocacy mode. “Please, God,” I thought, “don’t let the perpetrators turn out to be foreigners or immigrants.” I am not proud of…
The Church Draft
As millions of football fans will undoubtedly will be glued to their televisions and social media, they will hunger for the latest information about NFL draft picks. The NFL draft is part pageantry and part celebration for football teams and their…
Christians and guns
By Adam English At the risk of offending, I feel compelled to express my dismay over the way the Christian community has approached the debate about guns. My fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, we have allowed political parties, news…
Unnatural disasters
By Bill Leonard In recent days a series of unnatural disasters spread across the American landscape, extending from populous Boston to the small town of West, Texas, even winding through the power-laden corridors of the United States Senate. On Patriots’…
In the wake of Boston, social media heals
It was last week American experienced its first terrorist act through the lens of social media. Millions turned to Twitter, Facebook, and other social media networking sites to gain information on the bombings in Boston. During 9/11, many turned to TV and…
The fence through Friendship Park
A fence runs through Friendship Park at the western end of the U.S. border with Mexico. A 20-foot tall steel structure begun in late 2011 and completed in early 2012, it begins at the very spot where (without barriers) it…
Don’t blame immigrants for Boston
By Alan Bean When I recovered from the initial shock and horror of the Boston Marathon bombing, I automatically switched into advocacy mode. “Please, God,” I thought, “don’t let the perpetrators turn out to be foreigners or immigrants.” I am…
My Boston take-aways
These posts are truly difficult to write; partly because if you want to be real then you have to confess some things and partly because events such as occurred last week are not easy to process. I am not sure…
Running toward the blast
By Susan Sparks Readers, do me a favor. Fold your arms and don the surliest expression you can manage. Done? Good. Now you know what my last standup comedy audience looked like. Mercifully, times like these don’t happen often. When…
(Re)Imagining Redemption
David Kelsey, Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School, asks a very simple yet powerful question, “What earthly difference can Jesus make here?” I’m in my sixth year of pastoring. I’ve completed three degrees that carry theological weight. I’ve been…
Mom CBF, Dad SBC, I love you. Stop fighting.
Divorce hurts children. My grandparents’ divorce still hurts their children and their grandchildren to this day — even though both have been dead for years. Certainly, the pain has lessened in time, but the wound is still there, for many…