By Miguel De La Torre The beloved apostle John, while exiled on the island of Patmos, wrote a letter to the Christian church of Laodicea. He accused the church of being neither cold nor hot. Because they were lukewarm, God…
Aliens knocking at the church’s door
By Miguel De La Torre The beloved apostle John, while exiled on the island of Patmos, writes a letter to the Christian church of Laodicea. He accuses the church of being neither cold nor hot. Because they are lukewarm, God…
The religious war on freedom
By Bruce Gourley What is the enemy of religion? While evil is often the answer, a poll focused on religious liberty in America and released this month by the Barna Group points in a much different direction. When asked if…
‘Zero Dark Thirty’ as lament
By Darrell Gwaltney When my now adult daughter was in middle school, we would listen to NPR together on the way to school. We heard the first confusing reports on the radio together. I dropped her off at school and…
Clergy sex abuse and ‘the silence of the many’
By Christa Brown “True evil lies not in the depraved act of the one, but in the silence of the many.” On this day, I am contemplating these words, attributed to a black Baptist preacher, Martin Luther King Jr. In…
A CBF leader for the future
By Ircel Harrison The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has a nominee as third executive coordinator of the organization. Once again, the nominee is from Texas, but this nominee is female and a layperson — Suzii Paynter. Prior coordinators Cecil Sherman and…
3 questions for worship
By Bob Burroughs This is a three-question commentary, so please stay with me. First: Who is watching? As I was standing recently (20 minutes!) in a contemporary church service (and since I didn’t know the praise song) I found myself…
Overlooking Joshua
By Miguel De La Torre Among Christians, one of the most powerful biblical stories is the Exodus, where God enters history and guides God’s chosen people toward the Promised Land. The trek of former slaves toward liberation resonates with many…
MLK and Mrs. Robertson
By Roger Lovette When any of us move from one place to another we take with us memories that don’t always fit into a suitcase. As we come to remember Dr. King on his birthday, I recall a Birmingham memory…
RG3 and dying churches
By Alan Rudnick The Washington Redskins had started a good fight against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night football. The Redskins came out strong and scored 14 points quickly. It was looking like they were a sure win to continue…
Lessons from Stone Mountain
By Julie Pennington-Russell It all started with my teeth. A couple of years ago I was reclining in the chair of my dentist, Dr. John Uetsuki, waiting for the nitrous oxide to kick in. “Are you doing anything special for…
‘Les Misérables’ and reaching for grace
By Darrell Gwaltney In late November 1996, my wife and I attended Les Misérables at the Palace Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue in London, England. Attending the play was such a transcendent experience for us we said we would never see…