By Miguel De La Torre Amid apparent abundance, millions of people on Earth do not have access to clean water. More than 1 billon lack basic sanitation allowing them to take a shower, turn on a tap or flush a…
Who decides if you are a Christian?
Recently I was a guest on HuffPost Live with Rev. Paul Raushenbush, HuffPost Senior Religion Editor and two other authors. (You can watch the segment here. I come in around 19:00) We discussed the coming out of NBA player Jason Collins and the conversation turned to…
How to ruin a sermon (or not)
By Bill Wilson Good preaching comes in a myriad of forms in a multitude of settings. Don’t let anyone fool you: there is no one way to preach a sermon, as the diversity of styles that have developed over the…
Running the race on the first saturday of May
Reflections from Saturday May 4th I’m pondering the significance of this day–the first Saturday of May in 2013. Traditionally in my place of residence, Columbia, S.C., it marks the beginning of the transition from spring to summer. Temperatures typically start…
Jesus, the original hipster?
A new ad aimed at making Jesus more culturally relevant has a major church working to re-brand the image of Jesus. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn started a campaign that is gaining national attention. The ad has captured the attention of pop culture with picturing Jesus as the…
Managing time in worship
By Bob Burroughs Recently, I’ve been thinking about time, specifically issues concerning “time” leadership in the church. Time is the 21st century’s new currency. Think about it. People most often these day do not ask, “How much will this cost?”…
A tribute to H. Leon McBeth
By Charles Deweese Dr. H. Leon McBeth died this week in Fort Worth, Texas. Prior to his retirement, he taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary from 1962 to 2003. This professor of Baptist history made an indelible mark on tens…
I do not identify with race
As American Christians, we say that we are ambassadors of Christ, yet we are unable to reconcile with others because of race. We allow our racial identity to dictate what part of Christ’s calling we will fulfill. We have more faith…
A letter to the SBNR
By Amy Butler Dear Spiritual But Not Religious Friends, Are your ears burning? You’re causing quite a stir in my circles these days. Many of my colleagues claim you are the biggest challenge of the church today. You probably didn’t…