They were the most unlikely of business partners. In 1984 the beautiful town of Bangor, Maine, offered few stable jobs and many people still got by working odd jobs, trading for goods, and growing their own produce. Alex Gallimore Burt…
OPINION: The gun-powdered gospel
It was a cold winter morning sometime before my 10th birthday. I distinctly remember the anticipation as I listened to the sound of leaves crunching with every step of my new boots. I knew where we were going; I had…
OPINION: Louie Giglio and a call for dynamic faith
The eyes of the world gazed upon Washington this week for the second inauguration of President Barack H. Obama on a monumental Monday morning also remembering the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In his inaugural address,…
OPINION: Football realignments and the church
Those who know me know that I absolutely love college football. I love the pageantry, the tradition and, of course, the tailgating. My most magical season reached its annual conclusion last week with Alabama’s rolling 42-14 victory over Notre Dame…
OPINION: How to put Christ back in Christmas
I’m sure this has happened to you this year at least once. There you are, full of Christmas cheer and, like all good Jesus followers have just won the fight for a prime space in a checkout line so you…
OPINION: The passion-filled church
What is my purpose? Why am I here? What is the meaning of my life? These are all ancient, lifelong questions that are never definitively answered. One season of self-discovery and affirmation often leads to others filled with doubt and…
OPINION: Finding the ‘Jesus candidate’
I would love to begin this article by asking for all the faithful Christians to vote for the Jesus candidate come Nov. 6. Such rhetoric is certainly nothing new in our religiously-charged culture and I have heard many pastors, despite…
OPINION: Removing the ‘cloak of invisibility’
October is my favorite month! There is just something about this season that makes me feel alive and my wife and I have many traditions this time of year. We’re huge Harry Potter fans, and one of our traditions as the misty…
OPINION: Loving Libya (and everyone else)
As I journey onward in discovering a distinctly Baptist expression of faith that is both ancient and futuristic, I continue to marvel at the lectionary’s ability to serve as a bridge between the two. Rooted in the liturgical calendar, the…
OPINION: More preaching needed at CBF events
For the past two weeks, many of my evenings have been spent watching the various speeches and presentations offered at the Republican and Democratic national conventions. As someone who appreciates a well-crafted public address, I realize that most books I…
OPINION: Know thyself—An ancient-future challenge to churches
‘Know thyself.” This popular saying of the ancient world has been attributed to many Greek philosophers, including Socrates à la Plato and was inscribed on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Probably a common proverb used for various reasons and…
OPINION: The falconer
In his work The Second Coming, Irish poet William Butler Yeats shares the following bleak reflection: “Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.” Alex Gallimore Yeats penned…