By David Gushee This year I have been working my way through the books dropped from the Protestant canon. I admit that when I was a Catholic kid I never read them and after I became a Baptist I believed…
Reflections on Father’s Day
By Charles Deweese Several years ago my father, Philip Deweese of Asheville, N.C., issued an imperative, but ironic, challenge to me: “Son, don’t ever turn 65.” Although temporarily startled, I knew what he meant. After turning 65, he had experienced…
Executive Committee treats new boss shoddily
By Norman Jameson Frank Page was elected president-elect of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee during a bizarre and shoddy exercise June 14 in Orlando. Page is currently vice president for evangelism of the North American Mission Board and is…
Faith, politics and Mom
By Jim Denison “Never discuss religion or politics in public,” my mother used to warn me. Today’s column probably proves the wisdom of her advice. Last week, USA Today reported that four Christian lawyers who vowed to be God’s ambassadors…
Grandpa’s gift of mistaken identity
By David Wilkinson Sometimes being mistaken for someone else is a high compliment, especially when it puts you in some good company. Some of my fondest memories are the times I went quail hunting with my dad and grandfather outside…
Worship spaces should be sanctuaries
By David Stovall What has happened to reverence for God and respect for the sanctuary of God? Before we can answer, we need to understand the meaning of reverence, respect and sanctuary. To have reverence is to have a deep…
Be a church that invests
By Bill Webb The strongest and most effective churches give a lot of attention to investing. They have a biblical mandate for doing so. One such passage is in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:19-21: Do not store…
Clashing visions of marriage
By David Gushee On Saturday morning, June 5, 2010, I read that Al and Tipper Gore are separating after 40 years of marriage. On Saturday afternoon, I stood at the front of the First United Methodist Church in Jackson, Tennessee,…
Another Prostate Prayer — Recovery
By Ed Sunday-Winters Six weeks ago, my urologist told me that I had prostate cancer. A week ago, I had surgery to remove my prostate. Today I am recovering from that surgery and marveling at the medical technology that has…