In my book Ecumenism Means You, Too: Ordinary Christians and the Quest for Christian Unity, I suggested this as something that “ordinary Christians” can do locally to further the visible unity of the church: “If your own denomination has been in…official…
A Baptist among Jews
By Molly T. Marshall I grew up in a church which shared a block with a small synagogue. Our town did not have a rabbi, so these families depended upon Jewish clergy from a larger city nearby to provide leadership…
Receiving hospitality
Alan Roxburgh’s recent book, “Missional: Joining God in the Neighborhood,” lead me to a different sort of reading of a recent Sunday Gospel lesson from Mark 6:1-13. Jesus goes into his own home town with his disciples, teaches in the…
Church: The unwanted product
I was having a conversation recently with our pastoral intern and he told me with some frustration on his face,“Sometimes I feel like I’m trying to push a product that no one wants.” (He was referring to the Church). During…
Railing at God, as God rails at us
By Bob Setzer Like most Americans, I am heartsick about the tragic shooting at a theater in Aurora, Colo. When the faces of the 12 people who died so young and full of life scroll past on my computer screen,…
Railing at God, as God rails at us
By Bob Setzer Like most Americans, I am heartsick about the tragic shooting at a theater in Aurora, Colo. When the faces of the 12 people who died so young and full of life scroll past on my computer screen,…
An Open Letter to Dan Cathy at Chick-Fil-A
An Open Letter to Dan Cathy From a Concerned Baptist Pastor July 19, 2012 Dear Mr. Cathy, I don’t expect you to remember me. You and your father spoke at chapel during my freshman year of college in 2000. You…
Praying with the cat
No, that’s not a typo. Let me explain. I am the head of a not-so-blended family. I have two dogs, Oakley (my first dog ever) and Ralphie (adopted as a companion and best buddy for Oakley.) Although my older cats…
Time to ban assault weapons
By Miguel De La Torre It has been a horrific day, and as I type these words the day is not yet over. I have shed tears. I have hugged my daughter closer. I have yelled and cursed God. I…
An open letter to Dan Cathy
By Angela Yarber Dear Mr. Cathy, I don’t expect you to remember me. You and your father spoke at chapel during my freshman year of college in 2000. You both spoke of how being a Christian business person involves loving…
Our rhetorical Civil War
“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.” —Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address, 1861 So it was then, March, 4, 1861, that Lincoln uttered these words to a struggling, soon-to-be-divided United States. We hear these words 151…
Behind George Zimmerman’s comment, shooting ‘God’s plan’
In perhaps the most shocking development to come out of the Trayvon Martin shooting, since George Zimmerman‘s alleged plans to flee the country, occurred in an interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity. During the interview, Zimmerman discussed a number of topics,…