By Molly T. Marshall One of the first Hebrew words I learned in seminary was bara, the word used of God’s creative activity as recounted in Genesis. My Hebrew teacher carefully instructed the nascent scholars that this word could only…
The Incarnation matters all year long
By Doyle Sager Not very many weeks ago, many of us sang the words of Charles Wesley’s familiar Christmas carol, “Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see, Hail the incarnate deity ….” We likely also heard the powerful witness of John’s…
When you stop coming to church
By Mark Wingfield As a pastor, I try not to take it personally when you stop coming to church. Most of the time, I understand that it’s not about me and that it’s not even about the church. It’s about…
Work in the new office — an opportunity for spiritual formation
By John Chandler The can’t-miss trend of 2016 will be that North American disciples pay strategic attention to what it means to be a follower of Jesus at work. “Faith@Work” is not a new topic, but it is and will…
Happy New Life!
By Starlette McNeill I need to see your hands. Put the pen down and slowly back away from the list. Before you begin your annual declaration of independence from unhealthy food and toxic people, before you purchase the gym membership…
Contending with texts
By Bill Leonard In a 2006 New Yorker story on writer Gertrude Stein, Janet Malcom wrote: “The instability of human knowledge is one of our few certainties. Almost everything we know we know incompletely at best. And almost nothing we are…
When miracles fly thick
By Amy Butler There’s a short story written by Phillip Gulley, well-known Christian writer and Quaker pastor from Indiana. Here’s how it goes: I was born deep in the winter. Each birthday my father phones to recount the events surrounding…
Hoping for more Luke, less Matthew
By Scott Dickison In this column [https://baptistnews.com/opinion/columns/item/29670-a-matthew-kind-of-year] around this time last year, I noted the differences in the Christmas stories told by Matthew and Luke. Luke’s is the one remembered in specials on TV and Christmas cards. It’s full of…
¡Feliz Noche Buena! (Merry Good Night!)
By Nora O. Lozano La versión en español está disponible aquí. There are certain experiences that mark you forever. I had one of those five years ago. It was Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010, and I was supposed to fly from…