By R. Kevin Johnson Late November is time to make a figurative turn to the beginning of the Christian storybook and another year in God’s service. The calendar I follow all year begins four Sundays before Christmas and sets me…
Becoming thankful for Thanksgiving
By Sarah Holik I think about what I’m thankful for, I enjoy spending time with my family and I love having a few days off, but beyond that I really don’t like Thanksgiving. I would be happy without the foods…
No winners
By Bill Wilson One of the most painful parts of our political process is the heated rhetoric of the campaign season. Most of us are so disgusted by the vitriol of political ads that, by election day, we are willing…
Surprising debate on torture
By David Gushee It was an odd reunion last Wednesday at the Evangelical Theological Society meeting in Atlanta. I had reluctantly agreed to engage Dan Heimbach of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Keith Pavlischek of the Ethics and Public Policy…
Bankrupt Crystal Cathedral a family fluke or sign of times?
(Editor’s note: ABP is pleased to announce the addition of prominent Baptist historian and author Bill Leonard to our team of regular contributors. He will write a bi-weekly column offering his perspective on developments in American Christianity. Leonard retired this…
Journeying from despair
By Amy Butler Desolation. Dry, unyielding, lifeless, dark. Wind whistles through what was abandoned, echoes of emptiness filling the silence. No water runs here, no urgent life pushing up through cracks in the pavement. Just dry, empty, dead landscape, scorched…
Pass the DREAM Act
By Christopher Robertson Immigration reform has been mainly an abstract concern for many Americans for years. But now, the country has a chance to enact real reform for real people — the children of illegal immigrants. For nearly a decade…
Keeping things in cosmic perspective
By Jim Denison In the next five minutes while you’re reading this essay, 67 babies will be born in the United States. During that same time, 274 babies will be born in China, and 395 in India. The global landscape…
Loving enemies (political and otherwise)
By Blake Hart Despite what many politicians and pundits may say, the United States is still deeply divided. Since the midterm elections several political analysts have said that “the American people” have spoken. Some claim the country spoke with one…
Note to self: if you’re going to win the lottery, win big!
By David Wilkinson The Rev. Peter de Villiers got an answer to his prayers: he won the lottery. Some of his parishioners and denominational kinsmen, however, aren’t celebrating the pastor’s good fortune. My wife has her doubts, too. According to…
Behind the wizard’s curtain, humans
By Elizabeth Evans Hagan As a child, I would beam with delight when I was able to watch the beloved 1939 film adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz. There’s truly something magical about a story in which…
Things Jesus never said
By Bill Wilson There are some things you will just never hear. Ever seen those lists? “Next on ‘Jerry Springer’: Two happily married couples with their normal children.” Sorry, that’s just not going to happen. Or maybe you’ve seen the…