By Chris Hughes Baptist gatherings tend to raise some very interesting issues. At the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina’s recent General Assembly titled “Living Justice and Mercy,” leaders took on many pressing social issues in beautiful ways. But a…
‘God Hates Fags’ church apologizes
TOPEKA, Kan. (ABP) – Pastor Fred Phelps said today the infamous “God Hates Fags” signs associated with protests by his Westboro Baptist Church are the result of a typographical error. Phelps said the signs, used thousands of times around the…
Edwin Scott Gaustad a witness for conscience
By Bill Leonard Born in Iowa in 1923, he completed the B.A. at Baylor University in 1947 and the Ph.D. at Brown in 1951. His dissertation, The Great Awakening in New England, 1741-1742, was published in 1957, the first of…
A church for those who wander
By Bill Wilson The book of James closes with a most interesting assertion: “My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner…
Conviction and freedom
By David Gushee What is the proper relationship between conviction and freedom? By “conviction” I simply mean clear theological and ethical beliefs and the willingness to communicate such beliefs just as clearly, one goal of such communication being to persuade…
Love’s hard calling
By Elizabeth Evans Hagan Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” are among the phrases most quoted and memorized by many of us in seeking to be followers of…
‘Recalculating!’
By Amy Butler I have a very complicated relationship with the GPS satellite navigation system in my car. On the one hand, I find that the GPS is becoming more and more critical to my sanity, if not my very…
Opinion: Finding a Bible that fits
(ABP) — I wandered into the Bible section at a Borders’ going-out-of-business sale and thought, “I need more choices.” Fortunately, the publishers are looking out for me. On Ash Wednesday, new translations of the New International Version (the most popular…
Finding a Bible that fits
By Brett Younger I wandered into the Bible section at a Borders’ going-out-of-business sale and thought, “I need more choices.” Fortunately, the publishers are looking out for me. On Ash Wednesday, new translations of the New International Version (the most…
Are these the ‘end times?’
By Jim Denison Japan’s prime minister calls the March 11 earthquake and tsunami his country’s worst crisis since World War II. More than 12,000 are dead or missing, a number which will continue to grow. Nuclear reactors have been damaged…
Saint Patrick, legend and inspiration
By Ircel Harrison Today many will celebrate the life of Saint Patrick of Ireland with green shamrocks, green clothing, green beer and even green rivers. The day has become a time to celebrate the mythos of Eire, the Emerald…
The unusual suspects
By Bill Leonard In the last few weeks religion has occupied headlines across the political and theological spectrum, with public attention focused on a variety of issues related to numerous religious groups. Among the most public perhaps were concerns about…