By Brett Younger For centuries, Christians have celebrated the birth of Jesus by coming to church to sing, pray, remember, give thanks and recommit our lives to Christ. What were we thinking? This year, with Christmas falling on Sunday, many…
The 20-year war in Iraq
By Ken Sehested I don’t know what it was that penetrated my groggy reading of the Sunday morning paper, sitting at the kitchen table, the coffee maker’s final perks hacking like a smoker’s cough. Something, subliminally, coming from the radio…
How merry can your pastor’s Christmas be?
By Elizabeth Evans Hagan “Are we having church on Christmas Day this year?” Such has been a constant question asked at my office door since Thanksgiving. The answer is an enthusiastic “yes, of course we are” (even if the music…
Celebrate our missionaries
By Ricky Creech How blessed Baptists are to be known as a missionary people. I love missionaries. They are my heroes, not because they are superhuman or different from me, but because they sacrifice much every day for the cause…
Advent hope
By David Gushee Reading Advent scriptures this year, I am struck more powerfully than ever at the unfulfilled or only very partially fulfilled nature of the expectations, promises and statements made about the Child soon to be born: Luke 1:17:…
Lessons we can learn from Joseph
By Carl Hoover He stands near the center of countless creches, watching the Baby Jesus over Mary’s shoulder, with the stable behind him and flanked by shepherds, animals and wise men. Other players in the Christmas story told in miniature…
The perfect gift
By Amy Butler This time of year especially, I wish that gift-giving in our society happened a little differently than it does. The giving of gifts is forced into excessive displays concentrated in short periods of time every once in…
Take a digital fast this Advent
By Alan Rudnick Driving to Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with my family I wasn’t thinking about turkey, cranberry sauce or who would get to try their luck at the wishbone. I thought about only one thing: Twitter. This year I…
How would Tim Tebow defend Christmas?
By Jim Denison Gov. Lincoln Chafee recently made national headlines by calling the Rhode Island State House’s 17-foot spruce a “holiday” tree. When critics complained, he urged them to volunteer to help needy people instead. In response, the Providence Catholic…
Can we have2 a healthier search process?
By Bill Wilson An increasing part of my life is spent advising and coaching pastor search committees. A healthy search process requires great patience, spiritual maturity and hard work. Done well, it can lead to a season of hope and…
Attentiveness at Advent
By Daniel Vestal “Where have we discerned God at work in our midst?” The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship considers this question at the end of each monthly staff meeting. This time of reflection and sharing is usually the highlight of the…
When Jesus had a pacifier
By Bill Leonard For more years than anyone remembers First Baptist Church, Highland Avenue, in Winston-Salem, N.C., has marked Advent with “The Nativity,” a living reenactment of the birth of Jesus presented in worship on the second Sunday of the…