As a child I remember my mother, an elder in our Presbyterian church, preparing Communion. I remember going with her to buy bread a few days before so it would not be too soft to cut in little squares and…
Searching for Grace: Worst-kept secret
This is the third of a five-part fictional story set in the early 1990s about Paul Graham and his congregation, Grace United Church of Christ. Previously, Paul made the difficult but necessary decision to leave the Southern Baptist Convention and…
On interdepencence
On this International Day of Women and Inclusivity, I am inspired by an image that first came to me on Facebook. A pastor/priest is presiding at Communion, standing at the table with her infant child on her back in a…
Of Elisabeth Elliot, Beth Allison Barr, Kristin Du Mez and Karen Swallow Prior and who gets a seat at the table
It seems no matter what table a Christian chooses to sit at these days, powerful men are determining who gets a seat, when they can talk and what stories they’re allowed to tell. This marginalization of voices on the underside…
Ecumenical group gathers at border wall to share Communion and demonstrate unity
An ecumenical network of Caribbean, Latin American and U.S. religious groups expanded its commitment to serving migrants throughout the region during a four-day gathering in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Ruben Ortiz, Latino field ministries coordinator for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, served…
More thoughts on Mary breastfeeding, hierarchy and ‘kin-dom’ versus ‘kingdom’
Peel back the layers of our modern-day debate over the role of women in the church and you’ll find the underlying stumbling block has to do with hierarchy and bodies. BNG ran an Advent series written by Julia Goldie Day…
Prison tables and the Lord’s Table
Note: This is the second in a three-part series by Chris Caldwell about his work in Kentucky prisons. When I was preparing to teach in prisons, I thought about a lot of things: bars, windows, cells, towers and fences, to…
It’s time to ditch the drive-by Communion and linger a while
Churches should win awards for their innovation during COVID, as they created new ways to be church together while apart. Pastors responded to the needs of the community in a time when caring for community meant being separated from one…
Women as pastors isn’t the only way SBC churches are out of compliance with Baptist Faith and Message and SBC resolutions
Those currently calling for the Southern Baptist Convention to expel any church with a woman carrying the title “pastor” appeal to two primary sources — beyond their own biblical interpretation — as justification: The Baptist Faith and Message doctrinal statement…