By Bill Leonard In his 1856 autobiography, Methodist circuit rider Peter Cartwright warned of those Protestants whose “pretense of Divine inspiration” led them to predict a new millennium while playing on the “ignorance, superstition and credulity of the people.” Some,…
Why we love the paranormal
What is it about the paranormal that Americans find so fascinating? A Gallup poll found that about 75% of Americans believe in the paranormal (ghosts, telepathy, clairvoyance, astrology, etc…) Nearly 50% believe in ghosts and 41% believe in extrasensory perception….
Is it still, ‘If we build it they will come’?
Many of us remember the 1989 movie “The Field of Dreams.” It is about the sense of compulsion a nearly bankrupt Iowa farmer felt to build a baseball field in the middle of acres of corn. The voice he kept…
Citizenship questions cloud candidate’s eligibility
By Miguel De La Torre A candidate for the presidency of the United States of America was not born in the United States. Not only was his father not an American, born in some third-world country, but so was the…
Citizenship questions cloud candidate’s eligibility
By Miguel De La Torre A candidate for the presidency of the United States of America was not born in the United States. Not only was his father not an American, born in some third-world country, but so was the…
Between faith and fear
Many recent conversations I have shared with friends and colleagues have reminded me of an important choice we make as human beings, as followers of Jesus, and as ministers of the gospel. It is a choice that we are confronted…
“Biblical” monetary policy
In my New Testament class we are in the midst of going through the gospels. As a result, I assign my students the task of reading each gospel in its entirety in one sitting before we begin covering it in…
A fundamentally unserious culture
By David Gushee Months ago I agreed to a heavy travel schedule that would take me away from the television during the climax of our endless presidential campaign. I caught glimpses of the VP debate at a diner in New…
This Baptist loves Halloween
I am a Baptist pastor and I love Halloween. Many Baptists would find that statement to be heretical. Halloween is the Devil’s holiday- right? Some believe that Halloween represents evil and darkness and good Christians either ignore this day or…