The goal of this series is to heighten one’s awareness to the diversity of perspective within the Body of Christ on the issue of immigration, and to provide a synopsis of the differing views of Christians in a way that…
What does the Bible say about women in ministry?
By Terry Maples God created males and females as equals. Adam and Eve enjoyed a partnership of equals until the fall. Male domination evolved and led to broken relationships between men and women. So, I believe we can surmise that…
The perils of being a Christian athlete
In an electrifying game the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers to become Super Bowl champions of 2013. As Baltimore holds celebrations for their winning sons, reporters will look to uncover any tantalizing details into strategy that won the big game. Case in point, The…
Why I advocate for women in ministry
By Terry Maples I grew up in a conservative Southern Baptist home in rural Alabama. At church I was emphatically taught God cannot and would not call a woman to vocational ministry. The reason offered for this belief was “It’s…
A common peace community
Author’s note: this sermon was preached at Calvary Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, on January 31st as part of a God’s Heart Toward Immigrants worship service.
Church shopping haters
As I greeted people after a recent Sunday service, a couple gave some refreshing honesty: “We enjoyed worship here today. We are looking for a church and shopping around.” I replied, “Thank you for worshiping with us today. I pray…
Are Baptists still nonconformists?
Not long after our move to work at Gardner-Webb University School of Divinity my wife Kheresa read Monique Truong’s Bitter in the Mouth (Random House, 2010), a novel rooted in Truong’s childhood experiences as an “outsider” Vietnamese-American in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, where…
Remembering Stan the Man
By John M. Wilkes My wife and I sneaked away, along with another couple, from the Thursday evening program of the Southern Baptist Convention’s 1961 meeting in St. Louis to watch a baseball game at the old Busch stadium. The…
Baptist concerns re: common core education
I’m an invested party. I believe in the public education system as a grand experiment in providing the humanizing effects of education to all people. I have a minor in secondary education. I am married to a former educator. I…
Where is the Baptist in the Emergence Christianity conversation?
I recently attended the Emergence Christianity Conference in Memphis, TN. To be open, I knew very little about Emergence, Emergent, Emerging, Emerge(+suffix) Christianity going into this event. To be completely open, what I thought I knew can be easily listed:…
Prayers by the Book
By Bill Leonard In his 1646 work, The Dippers Dipt, Anglican clergyman Daniel Featley published a scathing attack on the “Dippers” rampant in England. “Dipper” was an early name for Baptists and their practice of immersion baptism. Featley denounced such…
Prayers by the Book
By Bill Leonard In his 1646 work, The Dippers Dipt, Anglican clergyman Daniel Featley published a scathing attack on the “Dippers” rampant in England. “Dipper” was an early name for Baptists and their practice of immersion baptism. Featley denounced such…