By Diana Garland The murder trial of former pastor Matt Baker in Waco, Texas, last week was mesmerizing for many reasons. It involved sex, lies, premeditated murder, pornography and a clergy member. It should have been a work of fiction;…
Music Review: Patty Griffin’s ‘Downtown Church’
By Kyle Matthews Regardless of whether you think you like traditional gospel music or not, do not miss this album. I say that acknowledging that this material is not where I’m from — neither as country and traditional gospel…
The meaning of Massachusetts
By Jim Denison Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat will be filled by a Republican. On January 19, a state that has not sent a Republican to the Senate in 37 years elected Scott Brown by a decisive margin. Why? Newsweek offered…
For Burmese refugees, new year — same borders
By Pete Maycock I recently went to join in a New Year’s Day worship service in a refugee camp on the Thailand-Burma border. The trip did not quite go according to plan. After nearly 10 hours in the car we…
Martin Luther King and a theology of liberation
By Marty Duren This past Monday, Jan. 17, marked the 24th year since the first official observance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as a national holiday. It seems some are still struggling to get it right. This year, King’s…
Why do Baptists associate?
(Editor’s note: Neville Callam, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, recently spoke to leaders of the North American Baptist Fellowship, one of the BWA’s six regional fellowships, in Dallas. He discussed how one of his goals in discussing the…
Pat Robertson, Haiti and the devil, Part III
(Editor’s Note: This is the final of three special opinion pieces by ABP Senior Columnist Jim Denison on Pat Robertson’s comments about the Haitian earthquake disaster. The first was published Jan. 14, and the second on Jan. 15. Denison’s regular…
Haiti, Pat Robertson, and the instinct to explain evil
By David Gushee Thousands of Haitians were dead, millions were displaced, and Pat Robertson responded last week by saying, “Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the…
Pat Robertson, Haiti and the devil, Part II
(Editor’s Note: This is the second of three special opinion pieces by ABP Senior Columnist Jim Denison on Pat Robertson’s comments about the Haitian earthquake disaster. The first was published Jan. 14. Denison’s regular FaithLines column will continue to be…