On September 18 I glanced quickly at the headlines from the mobile edition of the New York Times and went straight to “A Faded Piece of Papyrus Refers to Jesus’ Wife.” As a theologian I’m always interested in how such…
A future and a hope
With the retirement of Executive Coordinator Daniel Vestal, the departure of many top level staff, and the adoption of a new organizational plan, there is much discussion about the future of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. As one who has been…
Missing pieces
By Amy Butler I’ve never been especially good at doing puzzle-like activities. In fact, I don’t like them one bit. For example, I’ve never understood the attraction of those puzzle books kids take on long car rides. I don’t get…
50 years of confusion about school prayer
Fifty years after the Supreme Court case that excluded required prayers from public schools in the USA, confusion reigns around this issue. One of the easiest ways to rally some conservative Christians emotionally is to proclaim that prayer must be…
Seeking community
By Molly T. Marshall A visitor showed up at church a couple of weeks ago unannounced. She had recently begun to rear her very young grandchildren, in addition to the young girl she had adopted, and wanted them to receive…
On the edge
Not long ago I received two e-mails on the same day. One was from a colleague who copied me and other pastors in his reply to a message from Michelle Obama just before she spoke at the Democratic National Convention….
Three ways to appreciate your associate pastor
Associate pastors, youth ministers, and other staff ministers often do the unglamorous jobs of ministry without much recognition. Associates have a calling and a title, but they often do not preach, must attend church meetings, and juggle several responsibilities which…
After 50 years, confusion remains over school prayer
By George Bullard Fifty years after the Supreme Court banned prayer in public schools, confusion reigns around the issue. One of the easiest ways to rally some conservative Christians is to proclaim that prayer must be restored to public schools….
Southern Seminary VP Impedes Tolerance
My jaw nearly slapped the ground when I read the words. They bellowed from Mark Coppenger, vice president for extension education and director of Southern Seminary’s extension center in Nashville, Tenn. Recently he sat on a panel that discussed the…
When food oppresses
By Miguel De La Torre Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all…
God is not a political football
In football, you want to move the ball forward towards the end zone. You want to exploit the weaknesses of your opponent. If they carry the ball too high on their pads it is an easy target to strip the…
A Mormon, 2 Catholics and a Protestant go into a homeless shelter
By Bill Leonard Religiously speaking, this presidential election is a fascinating moment in our national life, and for multiple reasons. First, one party nominated a Mormon and a Roman Catholic as president and vice president respectively, the first time in…