By Mark Wingfield My maternal grandmother thought Billy Graham was a saint above all others. You simply could not say anything negative about the evangelist in her presence. She held the same regard for Jimmy Carter, because she considered him…
Mumford & Sons sing of grace and life
By Darrell Gwaltney I have been listening to Mumford & Sons’ new album Babel. Its deep biblical allusions and challenging lyrics about relationships and redemption invite repeated listenings. There’s enough in the album to keep my attention for a while….
‘Complementarians’ pan womanhood book
By Bob Allen Weeks before its official release, advance copies of a book challenging the assumption that the Bible prescribes a single model for “biblical” womanhood aren’t finding fans among conservative evangelicals who believe roles for husbands and wives described…
Flynt: Religious/political ties ‘complicated’
By Ken Camp Polarized politics in 21st century America are rooted in the cultural conflict of the 1960s, with race and religion at the forefront, historian Wayne Flynt told a conference at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas….
Prof: Feminism left mark on Baptists
By Ken Camp The women’s movement of the 1960s and 1970s deeply affected Southern Baptist life, an Oregon State University women’s studies professor said during a two-day conference on how Baptists have shaped American culture. Ironically, feminism made a stronger…
American churches: A failure to thrive?
By Bill Leonard Kidshealth.org posts this description of a common cross-generational medical disorder: “Although it’s been recognized for more than a century, failure to thrive lacks a precise definition, in part because it describes a condition rather than a specific…
Nonviolence out of the abstract
By Miguel De La Torre As a social ethicist, I wrestle with issues concerning the use or rejection of violence. Should we, as a community, engage in violence when our lives and/or way of life are threatened? Or do we…
LifeWay won’t sell ‘womanhood’ book
By Bob Allen A new book by an author who for one year kept her vow to follow literally every instruction for women found in the Bible won’t be sold at LifeWay Christian Stores. Rachel Held Evans, whose anticipated book A…
NL play-in ‘win-win’ for Georgia church
By Jeff Brumley The leadership of First Baptist Church in Dalton, Ga., expects no congregational split Friday night, regardless of which side prevails when the local favorite Atlanta Braves take on the St. Louis Cardinals in a do-or-die game that…