By Vicki Brown and Jeff Brumley American military personnel and their families have gone all-out during more than 10 years of continuous war, enduring unprecedented spikes in the tempo and duration of deployments. That’s why it takes an equally all-out…
Baptist-endorsed Army chaplain on front lines of Liberia Ebola battle
By Jeff Brumley Arm bumps instead of handshakes and twice-a-day temperature checks are among the steps taken by U.S. military personnel on the frontlines in the war against Ebola in Libera, says a U.S. Army chaplain endorsed by the Cooperative…
Bible flap challenges Navy policies on faith in pluralistic society
By Jeff Brumley A June decision to remove Bibles from the U.S. Navy’s base lodging system was cheered by atheists. Now it may be evangelicals’ turn to celebrate after the decision was placed on hold last week pending further review….
Desperate to avoid (dealing with) death
Recently I spoke at a conference of Retirement Community Chaplains. My thesis was that people who deal with the vicissitudes of life best tend to deal best with the reality of death. There are 72-year-old men and women who seem to…
Lessons before dying: Reflections from the bedside
By David Gushee Follow David: @dpgushee In a spring in my life filled with illness, dying and death, here are a few hard lessons I have learned. To borrow from novelist Ernest Gaines, let’s call them “lessons before dying.” Perhaps…
Reflections of Easter
I sit in expectation of the horror of good Friday and in hopeful expectation of the work of Easter Sunday. This time of year is always the most contemplative for me, perhaps because it offers the fullest range of emotion…
Dimensionality of the military chaplaincy
By Paul Dodd Perhaps this is a word which might describe, acutely and accurately, the present tendency of the military chaplaincy to avoid the so-called “curse of dimensionality,” whereby the multi-dimensional makeup of the chaplaincy becomes increasingly complex and challenging….
BGCT chaplains won’t wed gay couples
By Bob Allen Military chaplains endorsed by the Baptist General Convention of Texas cannot officiate at same-sex marriage ceremonies, according to new guidelines announced Oct. 9. According to a news release, the Texas Baptist Chaplaincy Relations Office issued guiding principles…
Forever Changed #3: Strive Together
This week I am reminded of the Scripture that says, “strive together with me in prayers to God for me.” (Rom. 15:30) This verse sticks out because this week has grown increasingly difficult. I have not slept well for some…