By Bill Leonard Zeb Mountain, Turner Spur, Peters Knob, Big Fork Ridge, Millard, Cow Knob, Cherry Pond, Payne Knob — those are but a few names of the over 500 mountains from Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia that have disappeared…
Listening to Rob Bell (and/or Jesus?)
By Bill Leonard These days simply say the words “Rob Bell” where two or three are gathered together and you provoke immediate conversation, if not controversy. Bell, a popular writer and founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand…
Edwin Scott Gaustad a witness for conscience
By Bill Leonard Born in Iowa in 1923, he completed the B.A. at Baylor University in 1947 and the Ph.D. at Brown in 1951. His dissertation, The Great Awakening in New England, 1741-1742, was published in 1957, the first of…
The unusual suspects
By Bill Leonard In the last few weeks religion has occupied headlines across the political and theological spectrum, with public attention focused on a variety of issues related to numerous religious groups. Among the most public perhaps were concerns about…
Gunfight at the OK Sunday school class?
By Bill Leonard “It is no longer illegal to carry a gun to church.” Scott Lewis, a Texas community college student, made that point recently as a rationale for his support of pending legislation to allow college faculty, staff and…
Where have all the revivals gone?
By Bill Leonard Recent articles in Baptist periodicals cite “professional evangelists” who confess that their preaching schedules have been reduced considerably since “churches are just not holding revival meetings” as they once did. For many congregations the tradition of one-to-two-week…
Marriage and the ‘Times’
By Bill Leonard For a study of religious and cultural trends in American life, consider reading the wedding announcements in the “Sunday Styles” section of the New York Times for at least a year. New York weddings may represent an…
Witness
By Bill Leonard “Can I get a witness?” Our pastor, the Rev. Darryl Aaron, asks that question at least once in every sermon, especially when he wants the congregation to join him in response to a particular gospel imperative. The…
Getting to know the ‘nones’
By Bill Leonard As noted earlier in this space, recent polls give evidence of a dramatic increase in the number of Americans who self-identify as having no religious affiliation — with their share of the population up from 7 to…