A few weeks ago, I sat with a Baptist leader who described himself as a “moderate Baptist.” He meant it as a compliment, and most people in our circles would receive it that way. After all, “moderate” is one of...
It’s been said many Christians have two things for Sunday lunch: fried chicken and fried pastor. I once got a Sunday afternoon phone call lambasting me for a Memorial Day homily during which veterans lit a candle not only for…
Growing up a Baptist pastor’s kid in East Texas, Bob Roberts found himself in church a lot. That time allowed him to develop a love for the church, eventually landing him at Baylor University and then Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,…
In short, I will preach it, teach it, write it, but I will constrain no one by force, for faith must come freely without compulsion. Take myself as an example. I opposed indulgences … but never with force. I simply…
Is it any wonder that the two most influential definitions of the “good news” in a Western society built on capitalism and retribution would be about people getting paid or being punished? In conservative evangelicalism, we see a heavy emphasis…
BNG’s next “Change-making Conversations” webinar will feature a dialogue with two leading scholars on the theological influences of James Cone and James Baldwin. Baylor University professor Greg Garrett, author of the new book The Gospel According to James Baldwin, will…
Everyone agrees that Charlene Carter was a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines for 20 years until she was fired in 2017 following a two-year string of harassing and bullying emails she sent to fellow workers and union leaders. Everyone disagrees…
October 26 is Intersex Awareness Day. In a time where gender identity and expression are under social, legal and religious scrutiny, understanding the biological basis for sex differences never has been more urgent. “Intersex” is a general term used for…
Political columnist Sarah Posner called him “the most unabashedly Christian nationalist speaker in history.” All over social media, church-state separationists and LGBTQ right allies and voting rights advocates have warned today that the new speaker of the U.S. House of…
After three weeks of chaos, the Republican majority in the House of Representatives finally elected a new speaker — Mike Johnson of Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District. While Johnson has served in Congress since 2017, and most recently held the position…
This story was updated Friday afternoon, Oct. 27, to include a response from the SBC Executive Committee officers and Thursday night, Oct. 26, to include a response from Al Mohler. When the Louisville Courier-Journal reported yesterday that Southern Baptist…
Three weeks after Matt Gaetz and other House Republicans supported by “pro-family” groups voted to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Jim Banks, Focus on the Family’s man in the U.S. House, joined other pro-Trump conservatives to oppose Tom Emmer, the third…
For two brief years, I served as senior pastor of a megachurch. Then quickly, unexpectedly, and mercifully, it was over. This article tells my story. Months before being appointed to the church, my bishop indicated it might happen. Their pastor,…
