By Marv Knox Americans are kidding themselves — or maybe kidding each other — about church. The Public Religion Research Institute asked Americans how often they attend church. Is it “weekly or more,” “occasionally” or “seldom or never”? The answer…
It’s still life
By Susan Sparks Recently, I saw an image on Pinterest that said “Life*” at the top, then underneath, in small print by the asterisk, it said: “Available for a limited time only, limit one per customer, subject to change without…
The congregational container
By Terry Maples Because I sometimes fly to distant cities as part of my work, I purchased a suitcase to meet airline carry-on luggage specifications. My new suitcase has a regular zipper to access my belongings; it has a second…
Baptist identity and Millennials: Re-imagining church
By Bruce Gourley Within recent months David Gushee, ethicist at McAfee School of Theology, has argued that it is time for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship to grow up and adopt organizational doctrinal parameters. Not doing so, he argues, alienates young…
Pain demands to be felt!
By Seth Vopat If you haven’t taken notice yet of the latest young adult fiction book to obtain massive fan appeal then you are missing out. John Green’s novel-turned-movie, The Fault in Our Stars, isn’t your typical teenage fiction novel….
The problem of violence
By Erica Lea I remember when the Columbine High School shootings happened in 1999. Schools across the country went into lockdown. Most of us were left mouths open watching news reports, trying to process and understand what happened and why….
The resurrection of a dying church
By Alex Gallimore I became a pastor during the scorching summer of 2012. Although I was right out of divinity school where I had been trained to think theologically and had accumulated quite a bit of local church experience, the…
So, what about preaching and plagiarism?
By Marv Knox Pastoral plagiarism is back in the news. Actually, pulpit pilfering happens so often, it never goes completely away. But it made headlines again this month, when Religion News Service published an article asking, “Is pulpit plagiarism on the…
It’s time for evangelicals to come out for evolution
By Chuck Queen Whenever I engage in conversation with people I meet for the first time I try to avoid being asked the question, “What do you do for a living?” But if I am asked I say, “I am…