By Miguel De La Torre As a man of color, I always read the story of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 with an emphasis on Africa. When we think of the gospel message moving beyond the Jews, we usually…
Discipline as a form of care
By Beth Newman Not too long ago, someone shared with me an instance of attempted church discipline. A pastor, on his own initiative, had approached a church member who had left her family to pursue a relationship with her “soulmate.”…
Seasonal mood swings
By James L. Evans At midnight after Thanksgiving Day, the Christmas shopping season officially begins. Many shopping malls will actually open at midnight. And even in this tough economy there will be folks who will be there when the doors…
Dear Michelle
By Amy Butler Dear Michelle: I’m probably supposed to call you something more important now that you’ll soon be our country’s first lady, but I’m not sure what I should call you exactly, and, anyway, we’re not much for titles…
A changing religious and political landscape
By David Gushee Credit for most of the material in today’s column goes to Faith in Public Life, which Nov. 13 released the results of a nationwide telephone poll of almost 1,300 voters. Key findings of their poll are in…
Georgia Baptists isolate themselves
By David Gushee On Nov. 12, in a front-page story, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution broke the news that the Georgia Baptist Convention has approved a new policy giving GBC executives the freedom to refuse donations from churches it finds to be…
Evangelicals and the Obama era
By David Gushee I began this election year with The Future of Faith in American Politics, a book arguing that there is an emerging political center in the white evangelical community. This center breaks with the evangelical right in that…
Baptists, bigotry, and Barack Obama
By Benjamin Cole The election of 2008 was historic, and now it is history. A tough-fought campaign has ended with a number of firsts for the country, the most notable of which is the highest number of votes — and the…
Regardless of politics, a reason for America to rejoice
By Robert Marus Nov. 4, 2008 was the most improbable day of my 34-year-old life. The unlikely elevation of an African American to the presidency is just the latest episode in what the president-elect himself has called “the unlikely story…