I have recently put the finishing touches on my syllabus, lectures, discussions, and assignments for my introduction to the New Testament class I will be teaching this semester. Classes start for me this week and I will be beginning a…
How long will women pastors be news?
By Molly Brummett I am a Baptist female trying to be faithful to God’s call upon my life. From the very fibers within my being I know that I am called to ministry. Yet is there a place for me…
Fear and congregations that give in to it
How many times have you heard there are three kinds of people in this world? One memorable version of this is from the 1960s “spaghetti” western starring Clint Eastwood that referred to the good, the bad and the ugly. When…
The people have spoken
By Miguel De La Torre There is no such thing as a “legitimate” rape, but despite my personal disagreement with Missouri Rep. Todd Akin’s opinion, I defend his right to voice it and to stay in the race for the…
Rachel’s coat
When I lived in NYC I worked at an Episcopal church overseeing their programs for the homeless – an overnight shelter, a lunch program, a food pantry. One day, Tom, the rector, came to talk to me. I could see a…
My special place
By Amy Butler While discussing a problem she was having, a friend mentioned needing to go to what she called “her place.” She explained that there was a place up at the top of a mountain where she always goes…
Violence and the cross
Challenging the notion that some violent responses to violence are justified often seems to cause people to respond with greater vehemence than if their most deeply-cherished convictions about the nature of God had been questioned. I suspect there are two…
Do you want a pastor-in-chief?
With the selection of Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney’s running mate, religious history was made. Some historians believe this is the first presidential, major party ticket that does not feature a Protestant running for president or vice-president. Romney is Mormon…
Absolute complexity is not allowed here
More than 35 years ago I was working on a graduate degree in the sociology of religion at the Southern Seminary in Louisville. The time came to declare the subject of our thesis. Some of us were sure and others…
Praying with monks
By Molly T. Marshall Twenty years ago few Baptist seminaries used the language of “spiritual formation” or “spirituality.” That was thought to be a Roman Catholic term, and while Baptists used terms like “discipleship” or “piety,” we had yet to…
Praying with monks
By Molly T. Marshall Twenty years ago few Baptist seminaries used the language of “spiritual formation” or “spirituality.” That was thought to be a Roman Catholic term, and while Baptists used terms like “discipleship” or “piety,” we had yet to…
Praying with monks
By Molly T. Marshall Twenty years ago few Baptist seminaries used the language of “spiritual formation” or “spirituality.” That was thought to be a Roman Catholic term, and while Baptists used terms like “discipleship” or “piety,” we had yet to…