Last week, the long-awaited new book Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates finally hit shelves. Its release was moved up from October to July in light of recent events yet again raising the ongoing concerns of race in…
What a pastor learned at Comic Con
Going to Comic Con International is like drinking from a fire hose. There is so much going on and you want to be part of all of it. But like drinking from that fire hose, you eventually end up being…
Book tells untold story of women in the SBC controversy
By Bob Allen Most histories of the Southern Baptist Convention controversy in the late 20th century downplay or neglect the impact and role of women, a female historian says in a recent book. Elizabeth Flowers, associate professor of religion at…
Jimmy Carter says Jesus would approve gay marriage
By Bob Allen Former President Jimmy Carter — nicknamed in Baptist circles the world’s most famous Sunday school teacher — says he thinks Jesus would approve of same-sex marriage. “I believe Jesus would approve gay marriage, but that’s just my own personal…
Why Rachel Held Evans is not that controversial
Just as we had finished imposing ashes on the foreheads of worshipers, my friend and fellow pastor David Bennett turned to me and said, “Alan, remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” And with those words, David…
Timshel
This month I read “East of Eden” again as it was the selection for the Great Books KC April meeting. June also read it, and then before attending the April 25 discussion we watched (also for the second time) the…
Searching for Sunday: A review
When I was fifteen, I was called into ministry. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God wanted me to be a minister. There was only one problem. I was a Southern Baptist who happened to also be…
The real abuse at the heart of Fifty Shades of Grey
By this point, all of us have heard of E.L. James’ bestselling erotic novel, Fifty Shades of Grey. The book has sold over 100 million copies around the world, and the movie is set to open at $60 million.
Beauty for Life
Our youngest son Seth has gone deep into the world of The Hobbit. Seth reads stories from the shire with feverish energy. He sketches scenes from Middle Earth and regales us with talk of his beloved Dwarves. At every opportunity,…