Have you ever thought about the difference between places and spaces? A place (as I would define it) is a location with determined boundaries. A space is the opposite; it is a location with undetermined boundaries. Examples may help here….
Why I had an Egg McMuffin this morning
By Brett Younger I boycotted Chick-fil-A for years. This is not an excuse, but I grew up in Southern Baptist churches in the Deep South. I am embarrassed as I look back on my narrow-mindedness, but this is what I…
You can’t cover up and soar with faith
My wife and I got married on an important day in American political infamy. June 17, 1972. Oh, you do not know what this celebrates? Perhaps it is because the event — the Watergate break-in — is not nearly as…
Sometimes, churches need to ‘die’
A 100 year-old plus-mainline-congregation closes its doors. The church dies. What’s left? An empty shell of a building and a disbanded group of church members. Many have predicted the death of mainline churches for the last 20 years. People have…
Why pastor searches go awry
By Bill Wilson A recent column about some of the positive experiences of clergy who have recently moved motivated some responses around the theme of “things that have not gone well.” Here are some common ethical issues search committees must…
Why pastor searches go awry
By Bill Wilson A recent column about some of the positive experiences of clergy who have recently moved motivated some responses around the theme of “things that have not gone well.” Here are some common ethical issues search committees must…
Meeting God in Jerusalem
I write this from Jerusalem where I have had the privilege for some 10 days to participate in the first stage of the Christian Leadership Initiative, an intensive 13-month educational program on Judaism sponsored by the American Jewish Committee (AJC)…
The Honeymoon
We still talk about the period after a couple is married as the honeymoon. This is more than a short period of time to get away to a resort or vacation spot. This is the time when the couple begins…
Your money and your mouth
By Angela Yarber I recently penned an open letter to Dan Cathy regarding his public stance against gay marriage. I assumed Christian consumers and LGBT activists — two groups that are not always mutually exclusive — would also respond to…
Experience and Expertise Matter
Over the weekend, Cathryn Sloane wrote a post on why every social media manager should be under 25. Seriously, that was the title of her post and it didn’t get better from there. Here’s a little excerpt: You might argue…
Food courts and fender benders
Pam Durso We have not yet arrived — not completely and totally. Baptist women serving in ministry still hear words of opposition, encounter suspicions and doubts and experience the pain of exclusion. We are not fully embraced by all, not…
I stand convicted by shoes, bread, and hands.
Recently I attended an Anatolian ceramic art exhibit sponsored by the Turkish Consulate. Three works captivated my attention….a pair of ceramic shoes, pieces of ceramic bread, and a group of ceramic hands. I was drawn to the red ceramic shoes…