As the Southern Baptist Convention in its recent annual meeting has proved itself unreliably Baptist, it gives me pause to think about how quickly the transmogrification of this Baptist denomination into its ecclesiastical opposite has happened. Baptist folk often have...
Being a pilgrim increasingly seems to fit many life chapters. I’m not speaking of “the” Pilgrims of Plymouth Rock, but as anyone who makes a journey, often to a foreign land, on a quest for spiritual renewal. Many who have…
Racial disparities continue to plague Black Americans in part because of the persistent perception that they are, by nature, threats to law and order, said Jamila Hodge, CEO of Equal Justice USA. “We have won many legal battles — the…
Note: This is the first in a three-part series by Chris Caldwell about his work in Kentucky prisons. I recently had the pleasure of teaching a college class in two medium-security Kentucky prisons. I’m on the faculty of Simmons…
Pastors in Zimbabwe fear a fast-spreading cholera outbreak could sink what remains of precarious church earnings as authorities mull worship restrictions and some congregants are staying away from services for fear of contagion. “It never rains,” said Pastor Josia Jagidhi,…
This story starts around lunchtime on Thursday. Well, really, the story probably starts way before that — maybe the summer I spent traveling California during college or that day I left a staff meeting with fire in my eyes and…
Julie Chen was on top of the world when her world came crashing down five years ago. She was creator of the daytime Emmy award show The Talk, along with being the host of Big Brother. But then, it all…
I spent the last weekend of October exploring the Old Town of Vilnius, Lithuania. I was in that grand 700-year-old city for speaking appearances and to visit friends. My dear wife, Jeanie, came with me. Tuesday, Oct. 31, was free,…
The president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops called his sibling episcopal leaders to “craft a narrative of hope” in the coming months before the 12-million-member worldwide denomination gathers next spring for its first legislative assembly since the UMC…
A good, straight-forward lyric from friend (more like a sister, really) Kate Campbell helps frame for me a way to process a bit of difficult news of the day. In her haunting ballad “Look Away,” a beautiful yet mournful take…
Passport Inc. is collaborating with five major faith-based organizations to launch a new series of summer camps designed to foster cross-cultural experiences between youth from diverse racial and economic backgrounds. Passport President David Burroughs said the program will be distinct…
Recently, I had the opportunity to sing in a choir behind praise and worship leader Charity Gayle at one of her concerts. What I experienced was beyond my expectations and I learned more than I imagined. My church choir was…
Two years ago, I wrote an essay that tried to untangle the legal and political issues that evolved over the 20th century that led to the current impasse around guns. There’s no panacea, I argued, but at least we can…
