What Would Bonhoeffer Say? By Al Staggs (Parson’s Porch Books) Al Staggs is an itinerant performance artist who has been dramatically interpreting Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Walter Rauschenbusch, Archbishop Oscar Romero, Clarence Jordan and Thomas Merton for decades. He’s a theologian who,…
VITAL SIGNS: A church for those who wander
The book of James closes with a most interesting assertion: “My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will…
OUT LOUD
“To impugn our motives (that we are selling out the Bible for the pottage of popularity), to reduce our concerns about love and justice to sentimentality, to dismiss us with the ‘L’ word and a questionable narrative surrounding it, and…
Tennessee amends anti-Shariah bill
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RNS) — Tennessee lawmakers are rewriting a bill that described Islamic law as a threat to U.S. security and seemed to equate peaceful Muslim practices with terrorism. State Sen. Bill Ketron and House Speaker Pro Tempore Judd Matheny,…
Christians question conventional wisdom on divorce stats
It’s been proclaimed from pulpits and blogs for years-Christians divorce as much as everyone else in America. But some scholars and family activists are questioning the oft-cited statistics, saying Christians who attend church regularly are more likely to remain wed….
Controversial Florida pastor presides at burning of Quran
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (RNS) — The controversial Florida pastor who halted plans to burn a Quran on the 9/11 anniversary last year oversaw the burning of the Islamic holy book March 20 after it was found “guilty” during a “trial” at…
DC convention elects executive director in divided vote
WASHINGTON (ABP) — Ricky Creech, once a Southern Baptist missionary and associational director of missions and more recently on the staff of a Georgia United Methodist church, was elected in a close vote March 28 to be executive director of…
From the Eastern Shore to Cumberland Gap
STAFF CHANGES • Doug Davis, to Poroporone Church, Shacklefords, as pastor. • Don Wilson, to Nelson Church, Nelson, as senior pastor. MISSION MOMENT: For Children’s Ministry Day on Feb. 19, the children of Orange Baptist Church in Orange visited the…
EDITORIAL: The unpredictable journey through Baptist life
How are things in the Tarheel state? It depends on who you ask. To basketball fanatics who follow the Blue Devils or the Tarheels, we won’t know until they have recovered enough to respond. We can imagine their outlook on…