By David Wilkinson April 17 marks the 40th anniversary of the splashdown of Apollo 13. It was a happy ending to a nearly disastrous and tragic mission. It was also a tribute to the bravery of the three-member crew and…
Everything you say about China is true somewhere in China
By David Coffey It was a privilege to visit China recently and follow in the steps of each Baptist World Alliance president since the early 1980s, who has made an official visit. Our gracious hosts, the China Christian Council, have…
What do you lie to yourself about?
By Bill Wilson My seminary-student son recently told me about a website called SoulPancake. Specifically, he mentioned a thread of responses to the question, “What do you lie to yourself about?” When I went to the site and began to…
Baptist battles and Christian graces
By David Gushee In late January 2006 my 18-year-old daughter Holly was in a terrible car accident. The most serious consequence was a traumatic brain injury that left her unconscious for three days and unable to speak for two weeks….
Top reasons to put a Baptist on the Supreme Court
By Michael Ruffin I confess that until I read this article I had no idea what the religious makeup of the Supreme Court of the United States was. But now I find that we are faced, given the retirement of…
Post-Easter, post-bunny reflections
By Amy Butler It’s several days after Easter, but I still can feel the wake of Holy Week rocking my life. As the storm gradually subsides and I try to get myself upright in the aftermath of the most important…
Fair pay for ministry staff — right or wrong?
(Editor’s note: This is one in an occasional series of commentaries involving experts responding to ethical questions. The “Right or Wrong?” column is carried regularly by the Texas Baptist Standard.) By Cynthia Holmes Q: Many Christian institutions provide comparatively low…
Catholic sex-abuse cases share window in Baptist house
By Norman Jameson It’s easy for non-Catholic Christians to observe from a distance the clergy sex-abuse controversies that torment the Catholic Church. We take comfort that the deviant behavior of sick “celibate” priests did not occur within the confines of…
Are we Rome?
By Jim Denison Is America in decline? Yale historian Paul Kennedy argued in The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers that nations ascend due to the supremacy of their material resources. When they inevitably spend their wealth on military…
Them, us and the Passion of Jesus
By David Wilkinson Engaging Scripture and encountering the Lord of Scripture can be dangerous. Maybe that’s why many of us have learned the art of showing up Sunday after Sunday for “Bible study” without much risk of doing either. That…
Experiencing the passion of Holy Week
By Barry Howard This week is Holy Week — a time to experience the passion of Christ. Around the globe, Christians and other inquirers will be reflecting on the events leading up to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus…
After Easter, be more like Jesus
By Bill Webb The highest holy day of the year for Christians is a mere three days away. Christians will rightfully celebrate God’s sacrifice in the death of his Son on a ghastly cross. We will remember his death reverently…