By Bob Setzer As a Baptist boy growing up in the South, Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. It was the one time of year my preferred sins were sanctioned: gluttony (especially of the chocolate variety) and getting…
For all the saints (Baptist and otherwise)
By R. Kevin Johnson In a few days, many Christians in the Western traditions of the church will celebrate All Saints’ Day. This feast originated in fifth-century Syria to commemorate martyrs. It is celebrated on November 1 to correspond with…
For or against?
By Joe LaGuardia “We are against Halloween,” one minister recently told me. This is a common response I get from folks in the church. That, and: “We are against homosexuals, abortion, environmentalists, liberals, social-gospel types, postmodernists, illegal immigrants, people who…
Christian witness amid the partisan fray
By David Gushee All eyes are on the November 2 elections, which appear likely to sweep Democrats from control of the House of Representatives and perhaps the Senate. Republicans also appear poised to make gains at the state level, especially…
Being off duty as a pastor
By Elizabeth Evans Hagan While I have great respect for the work of my Episcopal and Catholic clergy friends, I am glad that I’m not one of them. Not because of theology or tradition or even the clergy pay structure,…
A new conversation on bullying
By Mitch Randall Bullying of any kind, regardless of context, must stop. However, a wave of stories is circulating regarding a particular type of bullying that has people of faith reevaluating their words. In recent months, an upswing in homosexual…
A gap between faith and life
By Jim Denison The Pew Forum for Religion & Public Life recently discovered an alarming gap between faith and many critical social issues. For instance, only 7 percent of adults who take a position on immigration say that religion is…
Bonhoeffer and the power of story
By David Wilkinson For Eric Metaxas, a New York Times best-selling author, one story led to another. A few years ago a friend gave Metaxas a book on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the brilliant and courageous German theologian, pastor and writer who…
Facebook and virtual virtues
By Carra Hughes Greer Let’s face it: Facebook is quickly becoming a “community” of its own. For some, Facebook has replaced much (actual) face-to-face communication and has become a major means of relationship building. Whether we agree or not about…