By David Wilkinson Thirty years ago McCall, who turned 97 on Sept. 1, was a household name in Southern Baptist life. As president or chief executive officer, he had led the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, transformed a Bible institute…
Dr. King’s dream for us all
By Roger Lovette This Sunday Washington will be crowded with millions who come to dedicate the national monument to Martin Luther King. Of all the monuments along the Tidal Basin this will be the only monument honoring a private citizen….
Zionisms and the quest for peace
By David Gushee A casual newspaper reader might think there are two discrete places called “Israel” and “the Palestinian territories” but a visitor soon discovers the intertwining of these populations. That intertwining could be a good thing. There were parts…
Warren Buffett, taxes and Jesus
By Andrew Daugherty The third-richest man in the world, Warren Buffett (who has pledged to give 99 percent of his wealth to philanthropic purposes), wrote in a New York Times op-ed Aug. 14 that super-rich Americans like him are not…
When theology and reality don’t meet
By Jillian Farmer The phone rang. My dad tearfully explained that he and mom had separated and would be getting divorced. I was devastated, shocked and overwhelmed. My parents’ 34-year marriage was ending. As a seminary student I’ve been in…
Tom Clancy and terrorism
By Jim Denison Tom Clancy first introduced us to Jack Ryan nearly 30 years ago. Fans have watched as Ryan saved the world from nuclear war, single-handedly defeated Irish terrorists, took down a Colombian drug cartel and eventually became president….
Prestonwood saga shows clergy abuse database is overdue
By Christa Brown Most major faith groups in the United States have denominational processes for assessing reports about clergy sex abuse. The Southern Baptist Convention does not. Instead, the SBC has chosen to denominationally do nothing. That choice makes the…
I apologized to Vicki today
By Gary Cook Gaston Oaks Baptist Church in Dallas is a remnant church of the historic Gaston Avenue Baptist Church. I came out of retirement to be the permanent part-time pastor at Gaston Oaks and am grateful I did. I…
Happy Birthday, Henlee Barnette
By Wesley Spears As a student at Samford University, I find myself in and out of professors’ offices a lot. As a religion major, most often it’s to meet with my faculty adviser, Dr. Jim Barnette. In his office hangs…