Millennials are more optimistic than they have any right to be. Does this signal hope for the dying church? Millennials are the “in” generation. Love us or hate us, every day stories scroll across my newsfeed filled with statistics and…
Say THIS not THAT: 9 things to edit out of Christian helping speech
Nine Things Christians Can Edit Out of Our “Helping Speech” A few months ago I was really struggling with anxiety and migraines. I felt overwhelmed and and a general sense that life was too much to handle. I called on…
20 confessions of a minister’s wife
Being married to a minister was not something I had on my to-do list. I just happened to fall in love with a guy who also carried the title, “Reverend.” According to my mother, I used to kiss the TV…
What about physician-assisted suicide?
” There’s more to life than living and more to death than dying.” Those are the intriguing words on the cover of Finding Frances, a 2010 novel by Janice M. Van Dyck. Frances is a 74-year-old woman who, beset by…
How being a pastor changed my thinking on homosexuality
I managed to make it through college, seminary, and grad school with most of my prejudices intact. I won’t overstate my bigotry: “I had gay friends,” but I was the kind of person who would use that phrase when defending…
Following up: Further Reflections on Al Mohler, Racism, Inerrancy, and Theological Education
What I saw as a weakness in Mohler’s reflection was that while he acknowledged the racism of Boyce, and admitted that Southern Baptists “bear a particular responsibility” to combat racism, his arguments around “orthodoxy” and “heresy” were abstracted from real…
Remembering James Dunn
A memorial service for James M. Dunn was held Saturday, July 18, at 11 a.m. at Knollwood Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, N.C. Click here to watch a video of the entire memorial service. For more on his life and legacy,…
Remarks at James Dunn’s Retirement Dinner
Jesus doesn’t celebrate the 4th of July
On this 4th of July weekend, I exhort you, American preachers, do not take Uncle Sam into the pulpit. Carefully consider how you plan worship for this Sunday. A good place to start would be: do not sing “America the…