By Terry Maples I grew up in the Deep South in the 1960s and ‘70s. Neither of my parents received a high school diploma, which was not uncommon in our rural context. For many, this insular setting seemed to foster…
SBC chaplains cannot serve ‘God and country’
By Tom Carpenter The North American Mission Board has turned the Army motto on its head. They have forced their endorsed chaplains into the untenable position of either serving God or country. Given that choice, as men (NAMB forbids women to serve…
The two sides of Alzheimer’s
By LuAnne Nickell Prevost October 2007 was a monumental time for my family. That was when we received the official diagnosis my father had dementia that would lead to Alzheimer’s disease. As we researched the causes of this disease it…
The Baptist war on contraception
By Jacob Lupfer This week, the Christian right observes a leadership change in one of its most important institutions. Last year, Richard Land announced his retirement as president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. Land’s successor…
Doing the obvious
By Colleen Walker Burroughs “How much does it cost to drill a well?” is the most frequently asked question we get at Watering Malawi. The answer, around $6,000, is based on a series of geological variables as well as the…
Jesus’ pacifism is not passive
By Joe Phelps I visited recently with a young man who is part of a crew remodeling our house. When I learned that he is an Army reservist who is home for a while from the Middle East and will…
Back to school means back to worrying
By Kris Aaron That groan you hear comes from millions of students and their teachers as summer comes to a close and a new school year begins. As final preparations for the new school year are made, students make sure…
Does your church need Millennials?
By Emily Hull McGee National news media outlets have been peppered recently with reports and opinions on the churchgoing habits of Millennials. Bloggers have rightly identified why this 18- to 35-year-old demographic is leaving churches of all stripes, citing a…
Does your church need Millennials?
By Emily Hull McGee National news media outlets have been peppered recently with reports and opinions on the churchgoing habits of Millennials. Bloggers have rightly identified why this 18-35 year-old demographic is leaving churches of all stripes, citing a need…
Making dreams come true
By Andrew Manis Some years ago, when I taught at Averett College in Danville, Va., my friend Thurman Echols, pastor of the Moral Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Martinsville, often came to speak on the civil rights movement to my American…
Goodbye, unfriend?
By Mary Miller About a year ago I resigned the pastorate of a church where I had served for 13 years. As I prepared to resign, I faced the usual list of not-so-pleasant tasks: compose a resignation letter, figure out…
Suffer little children
By Miguel De La Torre Wouldn’t you do anything for your children? Your grandchildren? Is not their wellbeing important to you? To our culture? To our society? And yet, political policies advocated by some within the Christian community are damning…