I’m sure you have probably heard the old adage that says Baptists are like alley cats. You know what you get when cats fight an alley on Saturday night? More cats. Conflict is similar to this because the more you…
The confusion of ‘most’ or ‘many’ — even among Baptists
Recently I began reading a book I was sent to review. It is by two people I know well; one of them more than the other. The one I know better is often given to over-statement and over-generalization. I found…
Salvation by works?
Salvation by works. That’s a phrase that is anathema to baptists the world round. Instead, the rallying cry is sola fide, by faith alone. But what if that wasn’t the message of Jesus? We are, I presume, all familiar with…
More questions about Christian beliefs
In Friday’s post I attempted to answer two questions that were asked of me by a group of friends in my church, Baptist Church of the Covenant in Birmingham. In response to the question “Wouldn’t the world be more peaceful…
Southern Seminary VP Impedes Tolerance
My jaw nearly slapped the ground when I read the words. They bellowed from Mark Coppenger, vice president for extension education and director of Southern Seminary’s extension center in Nashville, Tenn. Recently he sat on a panel that discussed the…
That time of year…
I’ve never felt “called” to ministering to university students, but for the better part of 15 years they have been the one age demographic that I have found myself around the most. As a Student Minister at a church, working…
Three responses to 9/11 grief
Eleven years ago on September 11, I was in college. I was getting out of a Tuesday morning class when I heard people talking about an airplane crash. As I walked back to my apartment, I heard more and more…
Deacons in a Baptist church are a waste if . . .
Sarah looks at the ballot for deacons for the coming year in her congregation. Today in the Sunday worship services is the annual election of a new set of deacons. As she looks at the ballot, she wonders to herself,…
Think attendance in your church is declining? Think Again
Some eyewitnesses claim the attendance in their congregations is declining. This may be true. In some cases, however, congregations do not know how to count. If you think attendance in your congregation is really declining, I invite you to think…